Despite being equipped with state-of-the-art Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches, designed to run at high speed, and having much lesser number of halts compared to other trains on the same route, the prestigious 22415/16 Visakhapatnam – New Delhi AP Express has failed to attract passengers from the State, about 20 months after its launch. One may wonder: why?
The low average speed and inconvenient timings are the primary reasons for its poor patronage.
The issue was said to have been discussed at a meeting held in Delhi recently, according to reliable sources. While East Coast Railway and South Central Railway, proposed for a change in timings and increase the speed of the train to reduce travel cost, it was turned down by other zones such as Central, West Central and North Central zones. They were neither interested in change of timings or increasing the speed.
Right from the day of the launch, people’s representatives have been demanding increasing the speed and reducing the halts to bring down the running time.
They have also been voicing concerns about the inconvenient timings of the prestigious train, which was forcing passengers to spend an extra night at a hotel in Delhi, which is a pinch on their pockets.
They wanted the timings should be so fixed so that the train reaches Delhi in the early hours, say around 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had also agreed to consider the demand but nothing happened so far.
Interestingly, while the average speed of AP Express, which has LHB coaches, is only 59 km/hr, Swarna Jayanthi Express, with Integral Coach Factory (ICF) coaches, runs at a much higher average speed of 64 km/hr, 12807/08 Samata Express via Raipur takes only 34 hours 20 minutes at an average speed of 56 km/hr. On the other hand, 12861/62 Visakhapatnam-Kazipet/Nizamuddin Dakshin Link Express, travels at an average speed of 57 km/hr. But this train is very convenient to passengers from AP as it reaches Hazrat Nizamuddin at 4.05 a.m.
Zonal meet
Anakapalle MP Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao said that he would insist upon the railways to allocate convenient timings and speed up the AP Express at the zonal meet being convened by South Central Railway (SCR) in Vijayawada on May 9. BJP MP K. Haribabu said that a solution can be drawn by reducing the number of halts
The onus is now on the railway ministry to make changes in the Time Table and on MPs from the State to exert pressure on the General Manager at the meeting.
