Despite a steep increase in passenger traffic and revenues from ticketing and parking, the railway station at Thripunithura is getting little priority compared to stations like Angamaly, Mavelikkara, Karunagappally, and Cherthala.
Improvement of basic infrastructure at the station and stoppage for express trains have been long-standing demands of Thripunithura residents. Interestingly, with the extension of the Kochi metro to Thripunithura, the station will become a major transit point.
In the last seven years, there has been a three-time rise in revenue generated by the station, and passenger traffic has doubled, said V.P. Prasad, chairman of Thripunithura Rajanagari Union of Residents’ Association (TRURA).
TRURA had recently handed over a memorandum with details of revenue earned by the Thripunithura station to Hibi Eden, MP.
Mr. Prasad said the earnings of the station where only 18 trains stop (some only in one direction) were much higher compared to Angamaly where 32 trains stop. While Thripunithura earns ₹1.17 crore a month with 95,000 passengers, the revenue of Angamaly with 1.4 lakh passengers is only ₹91.7 lakh.
The station earns over ₹2 lakh a month in terms of parking fee alone, according to the information provided by the Railways, said Mr. Prasad. Nonetheless, the Railways declined to grant stoppage to the Kochuveli- Nilambur Road Rajya Rani Express at Thripunithura, saying that ticket sales were below the Railway Board’s expectations.
In the memorandum submitted to Mr. Eden, TRURA had demanded stoppage for Kerala Express, Sabari Express, Janasatabdi Express, and Amritha Express. It also said that Malabar and Jayanthi Janatha Express trains, which stop at the station in one direction, should be granted stoppage in both directions.
