Kochi: Take this – the new ‘Express’ train introduced by the railways on Wednesday takes 70 minutes to cover the nine-km stretch from Trippunithura to Ernakulam Town even though the railways ignored commuter demands for stops at major stations like Angamaly in its bid to cut “running time”. As per the time schedule released by the railways, the Punalur-Palakkad Daily Express leaves Trippunithura at 8.20 am and reaches Ernakulam Town, a distance of nine kms, at 9.30 am only. An irony, because the train is slated to operate as an ‘Express’ in the Kottayam-Palakkad section, a reason pointed out by the railways for not allotting stops at many major stations after Ernakulam despite an emphatic demand from commuters.
When contacted, a senior railway official said the schedule was prepared to provide “cushion timing”. “At that time, the platforms at Town station are full and the cushion timing has been provided to cover it,” he said. “This is going to hurt the commuters in two ways – a majority of the passengers will be office goers who will be forced to cool their heels in the train despite reaching so close to the city. By ‘delaying’ the train – it runs just ahead of the Thiruvananthapuram-Venad Express from Ernakulam – the result is less passengers for both trains,” said R D Manikandan, Co-ordinator, Edapally Railway Passenger Association.
“The train is scheduled to run during peak hours and hence it should be provided with stops at major stations like Wadakkencherry, Irinjalakuda, Chalakudy, Angamaly and Edapally,” said Paul K J Manvettom, President, All Kerala Rail Users Association. The various passenger associations have planned to hold a protest on April 30 by forming a human chain at all stations between Ernakulam and Thrissur demanding the stops.
