Thiruvalla railway station, the lone railway station in Pathanamthitta district, has been neglected for long despite heavy inflow and outflow of passengers, says Victor T. Thomas, Kerala Congress (M) leader, who has been spearheading a campaign demanding development of the station. In a memorandum to Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, Mr. Thomas said many major trains had not been given stop at Thiruvalla, which has been categorised as ‘A’ Class railway station, despite repeated requests from different quarters. Ironically, Railways had sanctioned stop for trains like Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur Jan Shatabdi Express (Train No. 12082) and Kochuveli–Yashvantpur Garib Rath Express (Train No. 12258) at ‘B’-Class stations such as Mavelikara and Changanassery, Mr. Thomas alleged. However, Railways used to sanction temporary stop for both trains at Thiruvalla during November-December in view of the Sabarimala season.
A comparison of the details of the boarding of passengers from Thiruvalla and Mavelikara during the period showed that the passenger outflow from Thiruvalla was 852 in the Jan Shatabdi Express while that of Mavelikara was only 431, he said. Lack of infrastructure was another issue plaguing the railway station, he said.
