Kochi: RoB or subway? DEMU run gets delayed

Kochi: The wait for resuming passenger train services in the eight-km long Ernakulam- Harbour Terminus line after a gap of ne-arly two decades is likely to continue further.

While the railways have brought the three-coach DEMU rake here last month and is ready to start operations at the earliest, the district administration is learnt to have directed the former to start operations only after finalising a decision as to whether to go for a subway or a rail overbridge at Vathuruthy.

“The district administration wants a long term solution charted out before resuming passenger train services as it fears that the operation would upset road traffic movement through the National Highway 47. While the railways bat for RoB, the Port Trust and the Navy object to the same and will only allow the construction of a subway,” said K.V. Thomas M.P., who intervened in the issue.

When contacted, Divi-sional Railway Manager Shirish Kumar Sinha, though, said the DEMU service would start “soon”. “We originally wanted to restart the services by April 20, however, the flood forced us to postpone the operation plan,” he said.

However, sources said many activities connected to the train operation such as setting up of the Integrated Unified Ticketing System at the Harbour Terminus station is yet to be taken up.

“Similarly, the Chennai headquarters is yet to give final nod to the proposed schedule of operating one each DEMU service in the morning and evening peak hours,” sources said.

The number of trips will be doubled to two each in the morning and evening, depending on passenger patronage. There are also demands to extend the services to Thrissur.