Kochi: Oldest loco enthralls rail lovers

KOCHI: With 30 plus passengers, the 164-year-old ‘EIR 21 Express', the oldest running steam locomotive in the world operated in the eight kilometers long Ernakulam junction -Cochin harbor terminus section on Saturday.

T.P. Kamal Raj, Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) said it was a priceless moment. “It was a first time experience in my 29 year old career. More than that, the present generation, especially children come to know and experience about the thing that most of the past generation did not experience. It is all because the Indian Railway preserved this old heritage,” Mr. Kamal Raj said.

The loco pilot K.B. Banish Kumar, loco inspector K.C. Biju, fireman K. Vinod, a senior section engineer and four technicians were the eight member crew that operated the 8 kilometer run on Saturday morning.

“A week long special training to operate the train was given to us. I never even dreamt of operating this train and this was a totally different experience and a priceless moment,” said Mr. Banish Kumar.

The train came after a few days visit in Nagercoil and is likely to be handed over to Palakkad division and then to the Salem Division.

Passengers are of the demand that the train should be allowed to run here for few more days as many people are still waiting to have the experience.“The train was full and it has got a great feedback from the people. So it will be great and helpful for the rest of the people if the authority allows running it here for at least one more week. Because it is a different experience to travel in such a train, especially it attracts the tourists,” a passenger said.

David, a foreigner who lives in Kochi said that he tried to get a ticket in the train but the huge rush in the number of passengers meant he did not get one. However, he visited the train at the Harbour Terminus Station at the time of arrival.

The train reached the Cochin Harbour Terminus Station in around 20 minutes covering the seven kilometers with the help of steam produced from around 3000 litres of water stored in it.

The train will be running on Sunday also. A senior official with the Southern Railways said that the train will be running on Sunday afternoon because of the rush in the number passengers. “The booking for morning run is full and people are requesting for more seats. So we have decided to run it afternoon at 2 p.m. Tickets will be given at the railway station on first-come-first-serve basis,” an official said.