No Rajasthan-bound train stops at Tirur; Malappuram passengers travel extra to board
Tirur alone is home to over 1,000 Rajasthan natives, most of whom are traders operating in markets such as the Gulf market.
Tirur alone is home to over 1,000 Rajasthan natives, most of whom are traders operating in markets such as the Gulf market.
Tirur alone is home to over 1,000 Rajasthan natives, most of whom are traders operating in markets such as the Gulf market.
Malappuram/ Tirur: Passengers from the district travelling to Rajasthan are forced to go to Shoranur or Kozhikode to board trains, as three major trains passing through Rajasthan do not stop at Tirur. The Amritsar Superfast Express (12483), Yog Nagari Rishikesh Superfast Express (22659) and Gandhidham Humsafar Express (20923) bypass Tirur without halting.
Tirur alone is home to over 1,000 Rajasthan natives, most of whom are traders operating in markets such as the Gulf market. Other parts of the district also have residents from Rajasthan. All of them now have to travel to stations in neighbouring districts to catch trains to Rajasthan. Despite repeated appeals, the Railways is yet to approve stops for these trains at Tirur.
The Amritsar Superfast Express originates from Kochuveli and provides access to destinations such as Panvel, Surat, Vadodara, Delhi, and Jalandhar City. The Gandhidham Express starts from Tirunelveli. Both trains stop in all other districts along their route, except Malappuram. Stops have been allotted in Kollam, Kayamkulam and Alappuzha.
The Yog Nagari Rishikesh Superfast Express also starts from Kochuveli and halts at stations in every district along its route in Kerala, except Malappuram. This train connects to destinations like Panvel, Surat, Vadodara and Haridwar. The district has a significant number of passengers travelling to Haridwar.
The Yog Nagari Rishikesh Superfast Express operates on Fridays, while the Amritsar Express runs on Wednesdays. Both trains pass through Tirur at 12.45 pm.
The Kerala Sampark Kranti Weekly Express also passes through Tirur around the same time and has a stop there. Passengers point to this as evidence that there are no technical barriers to halting the other trains at Tirur. They wonder why these specific trains continue to skip the station.
“Currently, we have to travel to Shoranur to catch a train to Rajasthan. People's representatives should intervene to resolve this issue,” notes Beem Singh, a Rajasthan native and trader in Tirur. C Nithin, a Malappuram native employed in Rajasthan, too, has echoed a similar concern.
“We are forced to go to other districts to board trains to Rajasthan. At the very least, one stop could have been allotted in the district. People's representatives remain indifferent,” he said