Pathanamthitta: Railway commuters in Kerala are keenly awaiting the scheduled meeting between MPs from the state and Southern Railway general manager R N Singh on Feb 21-22, to press for the long-standing demands of travellers. The demands include sanction for the 3rd and 4th lane in the Thiruvananthapuram-Mangalore route, the proposed Angamali-Erumeli Sabari rail project, and the Guruvayoor-Thirunavaya route.
The commuters also point out a situation in which no trains ply for hours in the Malabar region, and also the lack of trains to Thiruvananthapuram after from Managluru after 6.15 pm. They also demand an Ernakulam-Mangaluru intercity express, and Shornur-Kannur and Kasaragod-Kannur memu services apart from a service to Bengaluru from Malabar.
A new daily service from Thiruvananthapuram to Mumbai and a Vande Bharat sleeper train to Bengaluru are among the most vocal demands of commuters in Kerala for long. Daily commuters also demand another memu service preferably between Paluruvi and Venad express trains and seek the extension of Nilambur-Kottyam memu to Kayamkulam. Other demands include trains plying between, Kottayam to Mangaluru and Chennai, and new Ernakulam-Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram-Coimbatore Vande Bharat trains.