Kanhangad: The Kasaragod and Kanhangad railway stations have marked an impressive increase in revenue, of late. Now, Kasaragod is in 33rd position and Kanhangad holds 58th position among the railway stations that earn good revenue under the Southern Railways. Meanwhile, in the state, Kasaragod is in the 15th position and Kanhangad is in the 25th position. And guess what triggered this improvement – the Vande Bharat service. The first Vande Bharat service via Kottayam that was started a year ago and the second service via Alappuzha is getting overwhelming responses from passengers. The bookings increased as the Vande Bharat service began at Kasaragod at 2.30 pm. This has helped Kasaragod surpass Thalassery in revenue collection, in the North Malabar region.
Last year, Kasaragod was behind Thalassery in revenue collection. However, this year, the station managed to improve its position. Around 24.03 lakh passengers had travelled in Vande Bharat from Kasaragod. The railway had collected Rs 33.59 crore as revenue. This year, it rose to Rs 47 crore. Meanwhile, the revenue at Kanhangad railway station is Rs 18.23. Last year, it was Rs 16. 75 crore. As for the Ernakulam – Bengaluru Vande Bharat, the service is expected to start soon as the electrification pit line at the Ernakulam – Marshalling yard will soon get wrapped up. It would be an eight-coach rake.