Kallettumkara: Not a single new train has been allotted a stop at Irinjalakkuda station in the latest list released by Southern Railway. The Railway Passengers Association has expressed strong protest, alleging that Union Minister Suresh Gopi has failed to honour his promise of granting stops for the Malabar, Palaruvi, and Eranad trains at the station.

The minister, during his visit to Irinjalakkuda on May 31 as part of the station development programme, had assured that steps would be taken to allocate stops for these three trains. However, when Southern Railway published the list on the 12th, Irinjalakkuda was left out. This comes despite the station generating an annual revenue of Rs. 6 crores.

Restoring stops for five trains cancelled during the Covid period and granting halts for more trains has been a long-standing demand of passengers here. The Association’s president, Shaju Joseph, accused the Railway of continuing its apathy towards passengers and completely sidelining the station. He also pointed out that while the Union Minister had promised to elevate Irinjalakkuda as the district’s second most important station, such a claim holds little weight if train stops are not allocated as demanded.

Thousands of passengers rely on Irinjalakkuda station daily, especially to avoid the heavy traffic congestion caused by ongoing construction works on the Thrissur–Ernakulam national highway.