Passengers who had booked tickets to travel by Janshadabdi Express from Kannur were stranded at the railway station after the train was suddenly rescheduled to begin operation from Kozhikode on Monday.
The train, which was scheduled to operate the service from Kannur to Thiruvananthapuram, was supposed to leave the railway station at 4.30 a.m. However, without providing any information to the passengers the train left for Kozhikode by 12.20 a.m.
This left the passengers fuming as the railway authorities pointed fingers at the district authorities for rescheduling the train service from Kozhikode.
A senior railway official said the train was rescheduled following a directive from the State government.
Around 450 passengers were there to board the train from Kannur. After the train was rescheduled, it left Kozhikode with 199 passengers on board, said the official.
District Collector T.V. Subhash said the sudden decision was taken considering the increasing cases of COVID-19 in the district.
People can book for trains, including Nethravati Express and Mangla Lakshadweep Express, which have stop at Kannur.