Kalamassery railway station stuck in past

KOCHI: The Kalamassery railway station wears a lost look due to the lack of passenger traffic. However, the railway station, which is the nearest to the Government Medical College and the Cochin Cancer Centre, has a lot of potential for revenue generation if developed and trains are allowed stops. 

According to the local residents, at present, people coming in from the Thrissur side who want to seek treatment at the medical college have to either come by buses, private or rented vehicles. "All this can be avoided if some passenger trains stop at the station. Instead of going all the way to Ernakulam North station and coming back, passengers can save a lot of time by alighting at Kalamassery," said Ayyappan, a local resident.  

Another factor which plays in its favour is the Metro station just a kilometre away. "The station lacks many basic facilities. It is being alleged the water taps at the station ran dry recently due to non-payment of dues," said a resident. There is also the problem of lack of means to reach the platform one of the station. "There is no foot-over bridge and this forces people to cross the tracks to come over to either side," said the station manager. 

According to him, since the number of passengers arriving at the station is less, there is nobody to file complaints regarding such matters. "If we get some trains to stop here, the station too will generate revenue," he said. According to residents, if trains like Guruvayur-Ernakulam passenger train are allotted a stop here, it will be very helpful for them, especially for students and office goers.