Palaruvi Express timetable revised for Vande Bharat: Passengers miffed

Kochi: Hundreds of daily commuters have regularly relied on the Palaruvi Express to reach their workplaces on time. However, the sudden change in its timetable to accommodate the Vande Bharat Express has caused nothing but trouble for Palaruvi’s regular passengers. Now, those travelling from the southern districts to Ernakulam must leave their homes in the wee hours to catch the Palaruvi Express. Regular commuters complain that the revised timetable has caused them inconvenience, financial loss, stress, and anxiety. They urge the authorities to consider the passengers' opinions while revising the railway timetable. Various associations of rail passengers have already raised their voices against this and claim that Palaruvi’s schedule has been changed to accommodate the Vande Bharat Express. The associations' officials have expressed their demands to Kodikunnil Suresh MP, a member of the railway advisory board.

The changed schedule
Earlier, the Palaruvi Express started from Kollam at 5 am. However, after the Vande Bharat Express was launched on this route, Palaruvi started at 4.35 am. The passengers who are now required to leave their homes early in the morning to catch Palaruvi have to wait another 35 minutes for the Vande Bharat to pass at Tripunithura, too. Ajas Vadakkedam, the Kottayam district president of Friends on Rail, said that the revised timetable shows that the railway has no regard for the time and convenience of the common man. Now that the Palaruvi Express starts early, the Ernad Express via Alappuzha comes immediately after it reaches Kayamkulam almost 40- minutes later than scheduled. The associations claim that the passengers of both these trains have been suffering due to the unscientific scheduling.

The associations have demanded that Palaruvi be stopped at Tripunithura instead of Mulanthuruthi so that the Vande Bharat can pass. Paul J Manvattam, president of All Kerala Railway Users Association, said that the passengers find it extremely difficult to leave their homes 15 minutes earlier than they used to. He urged the railway to reschedule the timetable to be convenient for the passengers.

The common man is suffering
The railway had proven earlier that Palaruvi could reach Tripunithura at its scheduled time without delaying the Vande Bharat. Sreejith Kumar, district secretary of Friends on Rail, said that the passengers do not benefit when the Palaruvi stops at every station immediately after the Ernakulam MEMU that starts from Kollam at 4.20 am. He added that those who need to go early could take the MEMU service. However, after the Palaruvi, the next train on this route is the Kollam – Ernakulam MEMU, which arrives almost one and a half hours later. The associations demand to reduce the interval between these trains as the Kollam – Ernakulam MEMU is often overcrowded.

Regular passengers complain that many people, including women and children, cannot board Palaruvi as the train departs before the local bus services begin. They also point out how women who used to work on daily wages at various offices in Ernakulam had to give up their jobs due to this rescheduling. Most of them depended on the Palaruvi Express to reach the offices by 9 am. It is quite difficult for the passengers from Kuravilangad to reach Appanchira by bus to board the Palaruvi Express from here. Arun Raveendran, representative of the Vaikom Road Users’ Forum, noted that the new timetable has toppled the routine of many regular passengers who do not have two-wheelers to reach the station. Besides, it has forced them to rely on buses, causing additional financial burdens.

Meanwhile, the passengers from the Shasthamkotta, Chengannur and Changanassery stations too have been protesting against the revised time table. The regular commuters from Kottayam complain that the new schedule has only caused inconvenience and longer travel time for the passengers who were hoping that their troubles would be resolved when the track doubling was finished. Meanwhile, the women passengers have to wake up really early to do their chores before rushing to the railway station to catch the train. Lenin Kailas, representative of the Ettumanoor Passengers Association, say that the new timetable has made rail travel extremely difficult, causing stress, anxiety and health problems.