Minister V. Abdurahiman says the number of coaches in the second Vande Bharat train plying through Kerala will be increased to 16.
| Photo Credit: H. VIBHU
The Kerala government will submit a calendar this month (July) to the Railways for allocation of special trains to Kerala from major cities during festival seasons, Minister for Sports and Railways V. Abdurahiman told the Assembly on July 5.
Replying to questions, the Minister said the Union government has taken a favourable stand towards Kerala’s demand for special trains during the period of Onam, Christmas and other major festivals.
“We have requested for special trains from cities such as Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai. Due to the lack of enough trains, people are forced to depend on private buses, which charge exorbitant amounts during the festival season,” said Mr. Abdurahiman.
More Vande Bharat coaches
He said the number of coaches in the second Vande Bharat train plying through the State will be increased to 16. The practice of stopping other trains for extended periods at various places to make way for Vande Bharat will also be avoided, he said.
Regarding the Kerala government’s concerns on the reduction in the number of general compartments in various trains, the Railways has agreed to allocate more such compartments. Though the Kerala government has demanded the reinstatement of the benefits for senior citizens, the Railways is not keen on it citing losses, he said.
A new passenger train has started operating on the Shoranur-Kannur route. The State government has demanded the extension of the train till Kasaragod, he said.
Adalat-like meetings of associations of railway passengers will be held in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode, in which all the concerns of regular passengers will be taken up. The Light, Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) survey for the 236 km Nilambur-Nanjangud railway line is in progress, he added.