24 new trains, none to Kerala

KOCHI: As many as 24 new trains announced in the railway budget will be flagged off on Friday from several parts of the country, but none of them will chug into Kerala.
The main reason: Non-availability of ministers and MPs from the state, said railway sources, adding that two trains were cleared for flagging off from Kerala.
"In the 2011-12 railway budget, 12 trains were announced for Kerala out of which railway announced four trains: Bhavnagar-Kochuveli Express, Mangalore-Palakkad Intercity Express, Bilaspur-Ernakulam Superfast (weekly) and Nilambur Road-Thiruvananthapuram Link Express, to commence plying from October. It got delayed and later it was announced that two trains, touching Nilambur, would commence journey on November 11.
But today, we got information that the service would not commence in November," said Mathew Paul, general secretary, All Kerala Railway Passengers' Association.
A senior official from Southern railway headquarters confirmed that no trains would get flagged off in Kerala on November 11.
"The railway board gave clearance for running the trains on the said date, but as ministers and other representatives are not available on that date, we had to postpone it. The trains might commence service soon," the official said.