Improved rail connectivity from Visakhapatnam to Kollam, Kanyakumari, between Visakhapatnam and Mangalore and air connectivity from Visakhapatnam to Coimbatore via Chennai or Bengaluru will be a great boon to both pilgrims and general tourists visiting Kerala and other destinations in the south, feel Malayalees settled in Visakhapatnam.
The Andhra Pradesh Consortium of Malayalee Associations (ACMA) has sought an increase in the frequency of 18567 Visakhapatnam – Kollam weekly express and its extension up to Kanyakumari. It has also sought a direct daily train to Mangalore and a one-stop flight to Coimbatore.
Apart from devotees of Lord Ayyappa visiting Sabarimala during the festival season as also during occasions like Onam and Vishu, Malayalees settled in Visakhapatnam and north Andhra also visit their home state regularly. Extending the train to Kanyakumari will be an added advantage to tourists from the region, says ACMA chief coordinator S.G. Vijay Kumar Nair.
Passengers travelling by the first class coach of the 58501/58502 Visakhapatnam-Kirandul-Visakhapatnam passenger were unable to know the arriving stations and the side on which the platforms were located as the coach was positioned on the wrong side of the rake formation, says M. Govinda Rao, a retired officer of Hindustan Shipyard Limiteda, who travelled by this train from Jagdalpur last week.
In other words, the stations were mostly coming on the aisle side while the coupe of the coach (first class) was on the opposite side. There is high demand for the train during the tourist season and an AC coach can be attached to the train, he feels.
