Halts of two long-distance trains restored at Canacona

Margao/Canacona: The ministry of railways has granted approval for two long-distance trains to halt at Canacona railway station from next month.
A circular issued on March 21 by the joint director (coaching) of the railway board, ministry for railways, Vivek Kumar Sinha said that a stoppage should be provided at Canacona for two trains - 16345/16346 LTT – Thiruvanathapuram Netravati Express and 16335/16336 Gandhidham-Nagercoil Express (weekly) - on an “experimental basis for six months”.
The board has approved the stoppages for Netravati Express plying in either direction (up and down) from April 2, while the weekly Gandhidham-Nagarcoil Express will begin halting at Canacona on April 5 for the up-train coming from Thiruvananthapuram and on April 8 for the down-train coming from Gandhidham.
The railway board has directed the general managers (operating department) of the zonal railways to “keep a close watch” on the sale of tickets at Canacona station and to report for a review to the board within five months.
Apart from these two trains which have now been granted stoppage at Canacona, LTT-Mangaluru Matsyagandha Express used to halt at Canacona station until the Covid-19 lockdown led to the country-wide suspension of trains. Though the railways later resumed train services, stoppages for these three trains were not restored which led to protests by the residents of Canacona. Members of the Canacona senior citizens’ forum (CSCF) and Swabhimani Jagruth Canconcars agitated outside the railway station demanding restoration of stoppages for all the three long-distance trains. With no halts at Canacona tourists intending to alight at or board a train from there would be severely inconvenienced.
Canconkars including senior citizens, NGOs and political parties other than BJP, had agitated in Canacona virtually compelling the Goa assembly speaker and local MLA Ramesh Tawadkar to take up the matter in Delhi. Accordingly, Tawadkar met the union minister for railways on February 8, who assured to get two trains to halt at Canacona immediately, while a halt for the third train would be considered a little later.