New Delhi: The Railways has initiated measures to operate a new train in the Mangalore-Rameswaram section passing through Kerala, a long-term demand of the rail commuters in the southern state.
The Railway Timetable Committee has also recommended to the Railway Board the extension of the Thiruvananthapuram-Madurai Amruta Express to Rameswaram, another plea of the passengers.
The recommendations have been submitted to the Railway Board following a meeting of the Railway Timetable Committee held at Secunderabad on Tuesday, said P K Krishnadas, Chairman of the Indian Railways Passenger Amenities Committee.
On the demand for a train to Bengaluru from the Malabar region, the committee recommended the extension of the Yeswanthpur-Kannur Express to Kozhikode.
Earlier, Krishnadas had submitted a memorandum to Railway Board Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti, seeking the deployment of more trains to Rameswaram to facilitate the travel of pilgrims to the holy city.
For a long, there was no direct train to Rameswaram from Kerala. Commuters from the state have to first reach Coimbatore or Kanniyakumari, before catching another train to Rameswaram. Also, they were put in great difficulty since these trains were not running on all days.
The demand for more trains from North Malabar to Bengaluru too is being raised for some time now. The decision to extend the Yeswanthpur-Kannur Express to Kozhikode will resolve the demand to some extent.
