The late running of a few trains through Alappuzha could be avoided if the timing of Vande Bharat Express through the district was revised, Friends on Rails, an association of passengers mainly from Kollam and Alappuzha, said in a release issued on Thursday.
This was in response to a release issued by the Southern Railway on Wednesday that said the Vande Bharat Express service had not adversely impacted the journey time of passenger trains through Alappuzha and that they were adhering to their schedule.
“We at Friends on Rails deplore the stand taken by Railway on the issue pertaining to late running of trains, mainly the Ernakulam-Kayankulam passenger train. It was in this context that a demonstration was staged earlier this month at Ernakulam Junction railway station. This was not against Vande Bharat Express. The detention of the passenger train at Kumbalam to make way for the express train could have been limited to 15 minutes, rather than the present detention that often exceeded 40 minutes.”
This is because the express train took over 40 minutes to cover the Alappuzha-Ernakulam distance, as compared to the 37-minute time schedule, resulting in other trains through the 69-km single track portion in Alappuzha being detained.
The rescheduling of the Venad Express (through Kottayam) that began from Thiruvananthapuram to make way for the express train, has in turn affected passengers who were depending on the train. Thus, diverting the Vande Bharat Express that passed through Alappuzha, through Kottayam, will in turn affect other trains through Kottayam. “Rather, other trains will be least affected if the Railway revised by a few minutes the schedule of the pair of express trains,” the passenger association said.
