With the Union Railway Budget scheduled to be tabled in a few weeks, train passengers' and residents' associations have demanded more short and long-distance trains, cleaner coaches, development of important railway stations and speeding up of line-doubling works.
Railway officials too chipped in with their suggestions.
There is increasing angst at the mainline electrical multiple unit (MEMU) coaches that were allotted for plying in the Ernakulam-Kottayam-Kollam sector being taken out of the State because of the inordinate delay in readying the MEMU shed at Kollam. Passengers, most of whom are young professionals employed in Bangalore, have for years been demanding more daily trains to Bangalore from Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam.
They have also been demanding more special trains to Kerala from the metro cities during the summer season.
The biweekly Ernakulam-Bangalore train and Kochuveli-Yeshwantpur Garib Rath can be made daily trains, considering the whopping demand from passengers, said a Railway official.
Another demand is to re-introduce the Kollam-Tirupathi weekly train and the bi-weekly Tirunelveli-Ernakulam-Mumbai Express, which used to ply during the Sabarimala season.
Passengers' associations have been demanding one more train from the State to Guwahati, since the existing services are unable to meet the demand from migrant workers hailing from eastern India.
The All Kerala Railway Users' Association has demanded more reservation and general coaches to trains like the Netravathi Express for which there is high demand. There is also a long-pending demand to add an extra ladies coach to trains like the Maveli Express.
The Association demanded a train from Ernakulam to southern districts through Kottayam since there are no trains after 8 pm to Kollam. “A train with sleeper coaches can be introduced from Ernakulam at around 10 pm so that it reaches Thiruvananthapuram at around 4 am. The Kannur-Ernakulam Express can be extended to Kayamkulam, where more platforms are available. Another demand is to extend the Ernakulam-Kayamkulam passenger train to Thiruvananthapuram, where there are inadequate platforms. The train can be extended up to Kochuveli, till more amenities are readied at Nemom,” Railway sources said.
The Railways is also yet to optimally use the eastern entries to the Ernakulam Junction and Town railway stations. Organisations like the Karithala Poura Samity have been demanding that the number of ticket counters at the main and eastern entries to the two stations be increased.
The Railways is yet to take over the GCDA-owned building on the eastern entry of the Ernakulam Junction station, despite the possibility of bringing all its offices here under one roof.
It has also not built a roof for platform six.
The Ernakulam District Residents Associations' Apex Council (EDRAAC) has for long been demanding that the agency augment amenities at the railway stations in the city's suburbs – Tripunithura, Kalamassery and Aluva so that more trains can stop here, decongesting the two main stations in the city.
