Commuters left in lurch due to shortage of train, bus services

MALAPPURAM: As the services of five wide-bodied aircrafts have already been shifted from Karipur to Nedumbassery airport, thousands of passengers from Malabar districts are forced to depend on train and bus services to Ernakulam to board their flights. But, the insufficient number of train and bus services from major towns in Malabar to Ernakulam is a cause for serious concern.
As passengers are being forced to hire taxis for travelling, paying exorbitant fares from various towns of Malappuram, Kannur and Kozhikode districts to Nedumbassery, there is a rising demand for more train and bus services from major towns of Malabar to Ernakulam.
With the shifting of the services of wide-bodied aircrafts with an average seating capacity of 500 each, more than 2,500 passengers are being forced to depend on buses, trains or taxis daily to travel to Nedumbassery along with their luggage. There is also a rising demand for a new train between Kannur and Ernakulam and for sanctioning additional AC coaches and luggage vans in trains currently running from Malabar region to Ernakulam.
Besides, passengers are also demanding more bus services between Kannur-Ernakulam, Kozhikode-Ernakulam, Malappuram-Ernakulamand Nilambur-Ernakulam.
It is also being pointed out that only less than five Express trains which are currently running between Malabar districts and Ernakulam have stoppages in Angamaly, the nearest railway station to Nedumbassery airport. The number of luggage vans in these trains are also insufficient to cater to the needs of additional passengers.
The Dubai-Kozhikode services of Emirates airlines, Jeddah and Riyadh services of Air India and Jedhah, Riyadh and Dammam services of Saudi Airlines were shifted to Nedumbassery due to the ongoing runway development works in the airport.
The president of Malabar Development Council, C E Chakkunni has pointed out that around 50 tonnes of vegetable and other farm produces are daily being exported to different countries through the flight services which were shifted to Nedumbassery and the lack of facilities to transport these farm goods to Nedumbassery will affect the export from Malabar region. “Around 60,000 passengers have to travel to Nedumbassery from various districts of Malabar monthly. Hence, authorities should take the issue seriously and resolve it by sanctioning new bus and train services between these routes,” said Chakkunni.
The Nilambur rail action council also has demanded the authorities to sanction an additional AC coach for the Nilambur-Rajyarani Express in the backdrop of the shifting of major flight services from Karipur to Nedumbassery.