Chennai to Malabar KSRTC service remains a pipe dream as festive travel woes mount
The non-resident Keralite community in Chennai has long been demanding a direct, affordable KSRTC service to the Malabar region. While the Kerala government had previously announced plans for such a route, the proposal was shelved and never materialised.
The non-resident Keralite community in Chennai has long been demanding a direct, affordable KSRTC service to the Malabar region. While the Kerala government had previously announced plans for such a route, the proposal was shelved and never materialised.
The non-resident Keralite community in Chennai has long been demanding a direct, affordable KSRTC service to the Malabar region. While the Kerala government had previously announced plans for such a route, the proposal was shelved and never materialised.
Despite repeated promises from successive state governments, the proposed Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) interstate bus service from Chennai to the Malabar region remains on paper. As the peak festive season of Onam approaches, the large Malabari diaspora residing in Chennai finds itself trapped in a familiar cycle of transport crises, forced to deal with fully booked trains, exorbitant private bus fares, and exhausting multi-leg commutes.
Currently, KSRTC operates only a single daily service from Chennai to Ernakulam, departing at 8 pm. This highly sought-after service is almost always booked out weeks in advance, and even when tickets are available, it offers little to no convenience for commuters heading to northern Kerala districts like Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Kannur.
The high demand for overnight trains
For those planning a journey back home, the Chennai-Mangaluru Mail departing at 8.10 pm remains the most coveted option as it reaches key Malabar stations like Tirur by early morning. Another popular choice is the Mangaluru Central Express (16159). However, most other trains arrive in the Malabar region at awkward midnight hours, leaving passengers stranded without local transport. Travelers also complain about extreme overcrowding and poor hygiene in reserved coaches on popular trains like the West Coast Express, where unreserved passengers often crowd the compartments.
Exorbitant private bus fares and long detours
With train tickets selling out months in advance, passengers are forced to look at private interstate buses running from Chennai to Kozhikode. However, these private operators frequently hike their fares arbitrarily during peak festival seasons, making them unaffordable for students and low-income workers. For many, carpooling is the only alternative, though it comes with a steep price tag of around ₹3,500 for fuel and ₹1,500 in highway tolls for a single trip.
Desperate to avoid these high costs, some budget travellers resort to taking Tamil Nadu state transport buses from Chennai to Coimbatore, crossing over to Palakkad, and then catching local transport to their respective destinations in Malabar. This grueling, multi-leg journey takes a heavy toll on families and elderly passengers.
The long wait for KSRTC action
The non-resident Keralite community in Chennai has long been demanding a direct, affordable KSRTC service to the Malabar region. While the Kerala government had previously announced plans for such a route, the proposal was shelved and never materialised. With Onam just around the corner, Chennai Malayalis are once again urging the transport department to immediately operate special festive services to Malabar, bringing much-needed relief to thousands of travellers.