Shoranur: Passengers at Shoranur railway station, which is among the biggest stations in Kerala, has now the option to use battery-driven buggy cars to reach their coaches and platforms.

There is no prior booking or tickets to board the car. Paying a nominal fee, passengers can board one of the two cars, which is operational now. One more car will soon arrive at the railway station.

Passengers can not only reach any spot on the platform but also go to any other platform in the car. The buggy cars cross over to the next platform through a passage made of interlocked blocks along the track at the end of a platform. However, passengers will not be able to reach other platforms using the cars when long goods trains stop at the platform blocking those passages.

Passengers can use the facility by paying Rs 20 per person and Rs 10 for each bag, to the vehicle’s operator. A private agency has secured the tender to operate the cars in Shoranur for three years. Though cracks on the platforms and ongoing development work create obstructions to the car, it is a big relief to the passengers.

Around 100 passengers utilize the facility daily. Incidentally, travellers cannot even use the foot overbridge at the station conveniently due to the modernisation work.