Shoranur–Nilambur night MEMU service begins Saturday; passengers call for timetable revision

Malappuram: A new night-time MEMU service on the Shoranur–Nilambur railway line will start on Saturday, with the inaugural train leaving Shoranur Junction at 8.35 pm and reaching Nilambur at 10.05 pm. The service will offer an additional travel option for passengers from Ernakulam and Thrissur, who currently depend largely on the Executive Express for night travel to Nilambur.

However, passenger associations and local representatives have urged changes to the new MEMU’s timetable, saying its current schedule clashes with key trains like the Vande Bharat Express. They want the departure from Shoranur shifted to 9.15 pm to enable better connections with services such as the Janshatabdi Express and the Thiruvananthapuram–Mangaluru Vande Bharat Express.

Under the current schedule, the MEMU leaves Shoranur at 8.35 pm, reaches Nilambur at 10.05 pm, and returns at 3.45 am to arrive by 4.55 am. Nilambur MLA Aryadan Shoukath has proposed shifting the night departure to 9.15 pm for better links with Janshatabdi, Yeshwantpur, Rajdhani, and Marusagar Expresses, and advancing the return to 3.40 am to help passengers catch the 4.30 am Shoranur–Ernakulam–Alappuzha MEMU.

Concerns have also been raised that the MEMU bypasses smaller stations, including Thodikkapulam, Thuvvur and Vadanamkurissi. Residents have urged the railway authorities to add these stops.

Meanwhile, Palakkad Division Railway Manager (DRM) Madhukar Ravuth told Shoukath that the timetable would be reviewed to make the service more passenger-friendly. He also said two extra coaches for the Nilambur–Thiruvananthapuram Rajyarani Express will be added within two months.

The MLA also urged extending the Thiruvananthapuram–Shoranur Venad Express to Nilambur, noting its two-hour halt at Shoranur from 12.25 pm. The move could provide passengers from Nilambur a convenient daytime link to the state capital. The DRM assured that technical upgrades, including lengthening Nilambur’s second platform, will be taken up to enable such extensions.

Other proposals include extending the Coimbatore–Shoranur MEMU (66603) to Nilambur and using the Nilambur–Thiruvananthapuram Rajyarani Express, which idles at Nilambur from 5.30 am to 9.30 pm, for daytime services to Ernakulam. The DRM said these suggestions are under review, but technical feasibility on the busy Shoranur–Ernakulam route must be assessed before a decision.