Kerala: Railways quick response' stuns commuters

Kochi: Hundreds of office goers travelling to Ernakulam from Thrissur and nearby places were disappointed on arriving at railway stations early Tuesday as peak-hour passenger trains got cancelled after a tree which got uprooted because of heavy overnight rains fell on the track. However, the railways acted fast and overcame the usual “administrative delay” to allot stops for the Chennai-Aleppey Express at all block (small) stations and run a special train within four hours of the incident to the surprise of passengers.

“Usually during hartals allotting a stop for Express trains is a herculean task as our pleas fall on deaf years. However, the quick response today by the railways was a new experience for us. Hundreds of commuters benefitted,” said P Krishna Kumar, General Secretary, Thrissur Railway Passengers Association. Earlier, following heavy overnight rains, a tree fell on the Overhead Equipment in between Poonkunnam and Guruvayoor stations, resulting in the cancellation of morning peak hours trains – (T No 56365) Guruvayur-Punalur passenger and (T No 56371) Guruvayur-Ernakulam Passenger.

Besides allotting halts for the Chennai-Aleppey Express, that leaves Thrissur at 6.40 am, at small stations and that for the Island Express at Ernakulam North on an “emergency basis”, a special passenger train was operated from Thrissur at 8.30 am to Ernakulam for the convenience of office goers. Also the traffic was restored by 9 am after workers were deployed on a war-footing.