Relief is in sight for short distance commuters with the Thiruvananthapuram divisional railway authorities seeking approval for de-reserved sleeper class coaches in 24 long-distance mail and express trains running through the State.
Commuters with de-reserved tickets are not allowed by Railways to travel in reserved sleeper-class coaches of express and superfast trains. But, they can travel in de-reserved sleeper-class coaches kept unreserved for a particular section for short-distance daytime travellers on payment of charges for the distance travelled.
A proposal for de-reserving the sleeper coaches in the 24 trains has been submitted to the Southern Railway, Divisional Railway Manager Shirish Kumar Sinha told the 70th Divisional Railway Users’ Consultative Committee (DRUCC) meeting here. The divisional railway authorities have also recommended that the diversion of the 12625/12626 Thiruvananthapuram-New Delhi-Thiruvananthapuram Kerala Expresses via Ernakulam Town be made permanent. The Railway Board has been intimated about the possibility of extending the 22149/22150 Ernakuam-Pune-Ernakulam Expresses to Kochuveli.
An Intercity Express from Ernakulam to Salem and stoppage for 22837/22838 Hatia-Ernakulam-Hatia Expresses at Thrissur railway station has also been recommended. The new station building at Poonkunnam will be completed in January 2019. Also, the new double line between Changanassery and Chingavanam would be commissioned soon and the doubling in the Kuruppanthura to Ettumanoor stretch would be completed by 2018.