Kerala: Migrant labourers may wait as Railways launches AC train

Kochi: The railways promised a new superfast train linking eastern states like Orissa and Jharkhand to Ernakulam, which was thought to cater to hundreds of migrant labourers. But instead, a full AC train with no stops in the Thiruvanthapuram division has been introduced from November 3. The superfast train was even featured in the new railway timetable which came into effect from October 1, shown with stops at stations in Thiruvananthapuram division such as Aluva and Thrissur. 

However, when actually introduced – the first service (T No 22838) from Ernakulam to Hatia on November 3, it was hardly of any use to commuters from the state and the migrant labourers arriving here. “The train would have been beneficial to many commuters from here travelling to places like Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) and Rourkela (Orissa). However, now they are saying it has no stops in the division after starting from Ernakulam. It’s a full AC train also and the charges will be higher. This will not alleviate the heavy rush on the route,” said Vishnu Vijayan, a software engineer working in Hyderabad.

“How can they show one type of train in the timetable and introduce another category. This shows lack of co-ordination. Similarly, the new timetable shows that the '400 crore gauge conversion work is still progressing in the Palakk-ad-Pollachi section though the route was reopened after gauge conversion last November,” said P. Krishna Kumar, General Secretary, Thrissur Railway Passengers Association.