Sunday’s brutal attack on passengers by workers of Kallada Travels has given steam to the demand for more KSRTC buses and train services from Kerala to Bengaluru.
Secretary of the Kerala-Bangalore Train Users Forum (KBTUF) Venkitesh P.G. was the latest to join the bandwagon of regular commuters to Bengaluru, who shed light on the inferior services offered by private buses and the rude and threatening behaviour by the bus crew.
Families and elderly people preferred trains due to comfort, reliability and reasonable fare structure. But Railways were slack in arranging adequate number of services from cities like Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi to Bengaluru, despite the high demand. This often prompted passengers to cram themselves into private buses, he said.
Daily train services such as Island Express, though very slow moving, and the Kochuveli-Bengaluru train are packed to capacity.
“Despite the huge waiting list of passengers, the Kochuveli-Banaswadi Humsafar Express with full AC coaches operates only twice weekly. Its fare is lesser than that of private buses which often increase fares by up to 200% during festive and holiday season. We have begun an online petition campaign to convert the train into a daily service and will be taken up with Railway Board,” Mr. Venkitesh said.
He sought speedy augmenting of train services since more platforms were being built at Byappanahalli railway station in Bengaluru, which had a metro station very close by.
The forum has also been in the forefront of agitations demanding more Kerala State RTC bus services to Bengaluru and better upkeep of the fleet, similar to the buses of the Karnataka State RTC.
Private bus lobby
Introduction of each new train to Bengaluru could take 40 inter-State buses off Kerala’s congested highways, said a senior Railway official. Hinting that the private bus lobby might be playing spoilsport with train services, he said organised forums, the railway consultative committee, and peoples representatives could prevail on Railway Board to introduce more train services.
“We can supplement by exerting pressure on the Railway headquarters,” he added.