Jayanti Janata Express likely to resume services after almost two years

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Kochi: The Railway Board is seriously considering resuming the Kanyakumari– Pune Jayanti Janata Express service. As per the latest reports, it is likely to resume in the first week of April if new coaches are available. The service that was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak hasn’t restarted since the last one-and-a-half years.

Earlier, the train ran until Mumbai; however, as per the latest time table the service ends at Pune. This is the only train that connect cities in Kerala to places like Gooty, Wadi, Raichur, Guntakal, Gulbarga and Solapur. The Jayanti Janata daily service has been scheduled to reach Pune at 9 pm and begin the return journey by 11.30 pm. However, there isn’t much change in its timings in Kerala.

The Southern Railway says that the train requires stainless steel LHB (Linke Hofmann Busch) coaches made using the German technology to run services as per the latest timetable. As the destination has been changed to Pune, the Jayanti Janata Express would now be a train of 22 coaches instead of the 17 earlier. The advantage of the LHB coaches is that the service could be run using 4 instead of 5 rakes.

Since the cancellation of the Jayanti Janata Express, there is no train services on the Thiruvananthapuram– Palakkad route for almost five hours in the morning. After the Thiruvananthapuram – Secunderabad Sabari Express that starts at 7 am, there isn’t any other daytime train to Palakkad until the Thiruvananthapuram-New Delhi Kerala Express that starts at 12.20 pm.

The authorities say that shortage of sleeper coaches is the main reason why the Jayanti Janata service is getting delayed. Even though it was decided to resume services in November last year, the Southern Railway could secure only AC coaches continuously from the coach factories. Now, the Jayanti Janata might resume as the Railway Board has been willing to make the necessary changes in the allotment.

 

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