No special train for pooja holidays, Kochuveli – Thambaram train cancelled: What should passengers do?

Chennai: The Southern Railway has been troubling passengers by not announcing any special trains for the pooja weekend despite tickets being sold out for trains to Kerala, reported Manorama Online. During the recent Onam festival season, special trains were announced only on Uthradam, even while the tickets for the usual trains were completely sold out months ahead. Malayalis who wish to travel home during the holiday weekend are worried whether they have to suffer similar difficulties for pooja too. Meanwhile, the Southern Railway’s decision to cancel the Kochuveli – Thambaram AC special train, citing losses, came as a blow to Malayali passengers.

No tickets from October 10
The tickets on all trains running to Kerala are either on waiting list or REC from October 10 onwards. The last ticket booked on the sleeper coach of the Thiruvananthapuram Mail at 7.30 pm, for October 10, is at 176^th spot. Meanwhile, the last waiting list spot is at 73 on the next day. The waiting list is at 82 and 28^th spots respectively in third AC compartment on these days. The ticket on Thiruvananthapuram superfast at 3.20 pm, for October 10, is at 115^th spot, and it is WL 65 on October 11. Passengers are getting wait listed in the third AC and second AC compartments too. The tickets on the superfast train to Mangaluru on October 10 and 11, at 4.20 pm is at WL 88 and 20 respectively. Meanwhile, tickets in the sleeper compartment of the Mail at 8.10 pm, on October 10 and 11, are at WL 145 and 45. Besides, passengers are unable to book any confirmed tickets in the AC coaches of this train.

Tickets in these trains that are mostly relied by passengers to Kerala were sold out months before the Onam season. The tickets are getting wait listed on the West Coast Express too, that runs daily services; this train departs at 1.25 pm from the Chennai Central station. Meanwhile, rail passengers have been demanding to allow special trains during the pooja holidays. Malayali passengers complain that the special trains run empty as these services are announced at the last moment.

The decision to end the service of the Kochuveli – Thambaram AC special would further trouble the passengers who are struggling to book tickets. The Kochuveli – Thambaram AC special train via Kollam and Sengottai had been profitable until Onam. The train ran from Thambaram on Thursdays and Saturdays and the return trips were on Fridays and Sundays. This train was beneficial, especially for the passengers traveling to southern districts like Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam. Moreover, this was a convenient alternative to the crowded trains in the Palakkad route.