The demand to increase the number of unreserved coaches on various passenger trains passing through the Thiruvananthapuram Railway division has got louder with the general compartments being overcrowded.
Despite the issue being flagged by various passenger associations, the issue was still unresolved, inconveniencing passengers who even find it difficult to even board the unreserved coaches during peak hours, said ‘Friends on Rails’, a WhatsApp network of train commuters based in southern Kerala.
The issue was more severe in Punalur-Kanyakumari Unreserved Express and Nagercoil Kottayam Passenger, as they operated without sufficient coaches. For instance, the 11-coach Punalur-Kanyakumari train was now packed with passengers on its round trip, especially between Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam. Since the Kanyakumari-Punalur service would be rescheduled from October 1, the train can accommodate enough passengers only if at least three more coaches were added to it, said the outfit in a statement.
So is the case with the Nagercoil Kottayam train, which shared the rake for various services from Nagercoil to Nilambur Road with just 12 coaches. At least, two more general coaches are required to be added to the train when the departure time from Thiruvananthapuram was to be rescheduled by October.
The rake comprising 16 general coaches of the Guruvayur-Punalur train, which was withdrawn from service recently, was now lying idle. There should be an urgent intervention from the side of people representatives and Railways, to add additional coaches to unreserved trains by making use of these idling coaches in order to help the daily commuters, said the statement.
