Thursday 25 June 2015
`Powerless' train gives passengers to Shoranur a scare
Women passengers, who were travelling in the crowded ladies compartment of the Ernakulam Junction-Shoranur Junction passenger (train no 56608), panicked after power went off for more than 90 minutes on Thursday.
“The compartment was completely dark and we could not see each other.There was no light in the ladies compartment. When we raised the issue with the police on board, they said there was hardly any chance of the lights coming back,“ said Suma P Nair, a Karukutti native, who travels by the passenger train daily.The train leaves Ernakulam Junction at 5.40pm.
Though the women complained to authorities at railway stations where the train stopped, the issue was not addressed.
When the train stopped at Aluva, railway officials and the police requested long distance women passengers to move to other compartments. “They told us that there was no mechanic available at the station. It was too dark and anyone could have boarded the compartment and behaved badly with us,“ a woman passenger said.
Finally, a mechanic attended to the complaint when the train stopped at Angamaly station for nearly 20 minutes.
Women passengers said that this was a frequent happening. “There will be a power failure in the ladies compartment, at least, once every fortnight. We depend on mobile phone screen light and torch to see who's sitting nearby,“ said Hemakumari, another passenger.
Railway authorities admitted there was such an issue, but claimed that it was not a regular happening.“We always try to address such complaints at the earliest. There was no delay in attending to the Thursday's complaint,“ the official claimed.
Meanwhile, a fresh survey has begun to decide on changing the train timing back to 6.05pm.
(Times of India dt 26-6-2015)
“The compartment was completely dark and we could not see each other.There was no light in the ladies compartment. When we raised the issue with the police on board, they said there was hardly any chance of the lights coming back,“ said Suma P Nair, a Karukutti native, who travels by the passenger train daily.The train leaves Ernakulam Junction at 5.40pm.
Though the women complained to authorities at railway stations where the train stopped, the issue was not addressed.
When the train stopped at Aluva, railway officials and the police requested long distance women passengers to move to other compartments. “They told us that there was no mechanic available at the station. It was too dark and anyone could have boarded the compartment and behaved badly with us,“ a woman passenger said.
Finally, a mechanic attended to the complaint when the train stopped at Angamaly station for nearly 20 minutes.
Women passengers said that this was a frequent happening. “There will be a power failure in the ladies compartment, at least, once every fortnight. We depend on mobile phone screen light and torch to see who's sitting nearby,“ said Hemakumari, another passenger.
Railway authorities admitted there was such an issue, but claimed that it was not a regular happening.“We always try to address such complaints at the earliest. There was no delay in attending to the Thursday's complaint,“ the official claimed.
Meanwhile, a fresh survey has begun to decide on changing the train timing back to 6.05pm.
(Times of India dt 26-6-2015)
Tuesday 23 June 2015
Thumbs up for revival of rly goods station
Ernakulam railway goods (ERG) station will bring considerable amount of earnings to the railways once it starts functioning, revealed a study by Thiruvananthapuram railway authorities.The report will be submitted to Railway Board this week and if the Board finds the report convincing, they will approve the revival project of the ERG.
Goods' services to the station were stopped in 2001 while passenger service was stopped in early 1960s after the station lost importance to Ernakulam Junction.
“Tonnes of goods like tiles, ve hicles, cloth, stationery, provisions, hardware, etc., are brought to Er nakulam by road which is expensive and through inland water route which is slow-moving. A consignment can be brought to Ernakulam from Gujarat in four days by train, but it will take at least 10 days if it's brought via inland wa ters. The ERG is situated close to many business activity places like the Ernakulam market that has over 2,500 shops, over 25 parcel transporting logistics companies, international container transhipment terminal at Vallarpadam, many vehicle dealers, etc. Parcel service from ERG will be profitable for railways,“ said a railway source.
Railways are already transporting spices, rice and rubber to other parts of the country from Aluva.
“About 5,000 tonnes of goods are carried out of Aluva every month. Trains do not halt here, which affects timely dispatch of these goods. It is calculated that another 5,000 tonnes of goods are transported by road and water from Ernakulam district to other areas. Even if ERG offers one parcel service in a week with a train that has eight or 10 parcel vans, we can make Rs 20 lakh profit minimum. If we can tap 10% of the entire transportation business of goods in Ernakulam, railways can easily make Rs 4-5 crore profit a month,“ the officer said.
(Times of India dt 24-6-2015)
Goods' services to the station were stopped in 2001 while passenger service was stopped in early 1960s after the station lost importance to Ernakulam Junction.
“Tonnes of goods like tiles, ve hicles, cloth, stationery, provisions, hardware, etc., are brought to Er nakulam by road which is expensive and through inland water route which is slow-moving. A consignment can be brought to Ernakulam from Gujarat in four days by train, but it will take at least 10 days if it's brought via inland wa ters. The ERG is situated close to many business activity places like the Ernakulam market that has over 2,500 shops, over 25 parcel transporting logistics companies, international container transhipment terminal at Vallarpadam, many vehicle dealers, etc. Parcel service from ERG will be profitable for railways,“ said a railway source.
Railways are already transporting spices, rice and rubber to other parts of the country from Aluva.
“About 5,000 tonnes of goods are carried out of Aluva every month. Trains do not halt here, which affects timely dispatch of these goods. It is calculated that another 5,000 tonnes of goods are transported by road and water from Ernakulam district to other areas. Even if ERG offers one parcel service in a week with a train that has eight or 10 parcel vans, we can make Rs 20 lakh profit minimum. If we can tap 10% of the entire transportation business of goods in Ernakulam, railways can easily make Rs 4-5 crore profit a month,“ the officer said.
(Times of India dt 24-6-2015)
Monday 22 June 2015
Meeting Railway Minister
(Madhyamam dt 22-6-2015)
(Rashtradeepika dt 22-6-2015)
Day one: Thumbs up for Memu local service
Rising traffic congestion due to the ongoing Kochi Metro work and excess fares charged by autorickshaws may well make Memu, the local train service which began operating between Piravom Road and Angamaly on Monday , a huge success.
Commuters welcomed the new suburban service and demanded more such trains and frequent trips.
Those who spoke to TOI on the first day of the Memu service, which replaced Demu, were surprised by the ticket cost.
Jismy C P and Aswathi C S, two nurses working in an Ayurveda hospital in Aluva, said, “This suburban service is convenient for people coming to the city from Aluva and Tripunithura. People have to otherwise travel by bus which takes longer due to traffic jams. We were surprised as a ticket from Ernakulam to Aluva costs only Rs 10 on Memu. If we take a bus, the same will cost around Rs 17.“
Dhanesh K K and Arun K V , hailing from Kottayam and in the city to attend an interview, said, “Since the train to Kottayam does not have stop at Ernakulam Junction, we took the Memu to Ernakulam North to catch the train. The tickets cost only Rs 20 for two.If we had taken an auto, it would have cost over Rs 40.The traffic jams in the city also made us travel by Memu.“ Many commuters wanted more Memu services. Suresh Kumar G K, an official with the Travancore Cochin Chemicals Ltd (TCCL) in Udyogamandal, said, “The traffic congestion in Kochi is rising by the day . Introducing more suburban trains is the need of the hour.“ Some wanted the timings of the service revised to benefit more people, especially office goers. C A Viswanathan Nair, a former official with ISRO, said, “In other cities, suburban trains are available every five minutes. In a growing city like Kochi, more short distance train services are required. Moreover, the timings should be rescheduled. Now, the evening service from Ernakulam Junction to Angamaly starts at 3.10am. This should be changed to 5pm as it will help those attending offices.“ Meanwhile, authorities confirmed that the Memu will run eight services daily except Sundays.
(Times of India dt 23-6-2015)
(The Hindu dt 23-6-2015)
(Malayala Manorama Kochi dt 23-6-2015)
Commuters welcomed the new suburban service and demanded more such trains and frequent trips.
Those who spoke to TOI on the first day of the Memu service, which replaced Demu, were surprised by the ticket cost.
Jismy C P and Aswathi C S, two nurses working in an Ayurveda hospital in Aluva, said, “This suburban service is convenient for people coming to the city from Aluva and Tripunithura. People have to otherwise travel by bus which takes longer due to traffic jams. We were surprised as a ticket from Ernakulam to Aluva costs only Rs 10 on Memu. If we take a bus, the same will cost around Rs 17.“
Dhanesh K K and Arun K V , hailing from Kottayam and in the city to attend an interview, said, “Since the train to Kottayam does not have stop at Ernakulam Junction, we took the Memu to Ernakulam North to catch the train. The tickets cost only Rs 20 for two.If we had taken an auto, it would have cost over Rs 40.The traffic jams in the city also made us travel by Memu.“ Many commuters wanted more Memu services. Suresh Kumar G K, an official with the Travancore Cochin Chemicals Ltd (TCCL) in Udyogamandal, said, “The traffic congestion in Kochi is rising by the day . Introducing more suburban trains is the need of the hour.“ Some wanted the timings of the service revised to benefit more people, especially office goers. C A Viswanathan Nair, a former official with ISRO, said, “In other cities, suburban trains are available every five minutes. In a growing city like Kochi, more short distance train services are required. Moreover, the timings should be rescheduled. Now, the evening service from Ernakulam Junction to Angamaly starts at 3.10am. This should be changed to 5pm as it will help those attending offices.“ Meanwhile, authorities confirmed that the Memu will run eight services daily except Sundays.
(Times of India dt 23-6-2015)
Sunday 21 June 2015
DEMU flagged off
(Mathrubhumi Kochi dt 22-6-2015)
(Deepika dt 22-6-2015)
Demu only for demo, it's back to Memu
Railway Min Promises To Bring Demu Train Back
After revealing late the muchhyped new diesel electric multiple unit (Demu) train would be replaced by a mainline electric multiple unit (Memu) rake, railway officials have confirmed that the Demu rake will not have the promised air-conditioned coaches when it returns.
However, the Demu rake that railway minister Suresh Prabhu flagged off on Sunday from Ernakulam Junction had AC coaches, and turned out to be a demonstration of the country's first Demu service.
But when the local area rail service, which connects the suburbs to the city , commences regular service on Monday at 6.30am, passengers will have to do with an old Memu rake.
“The Demu will be withdrawn, as we need only Memu to operate local area services between Angamaly and Piravom Road. However, the Demu will be brought back once the Cochin Harbour Terminus Station (CHTS) becomes a part of the local rail network. The Demu, which was flagged off today , is your train, and we cannot take it away from you,“ said the minister in reply to a request by a people's representative to rethink the decision to replace Demu with Memu.
The minister said that he expected the electrification of tracks to CHTS and the Ernakulam Railway Goods (ERG) Station (the old railway station located behind the Kerala High Court) to be completed in a year.
The Memu rake that will conduct regular local area rail service was seen at platform no 5 of Ernakulam Junction. Though the minister promised that the city would get the same Demu rake used to inaugurate the service, railway sources confirmed there would be no AC coaches when it returns after CHTS and ERG were ready for service. The minister also asked authorities to put in place an integrated plan to run the goods train service since the state depended on other states for many products.
Noting that railways was caught in a vicious circle of poor investments and compromised services, the minister pitched for greater investment to improve the infrastructure of the government behemoth.
The minister also told newspersons that railways would implement the Sabari rail project in Kerala to provide connectivity to south India's major pilgrim centre .
People from city, suburbs fall for local service
We are probably in the interstellar age, but there's something about trains that still attract people, both young and old, even now.
People from the city and suburbs such as Angamaly , Aluva and Pookattupadi were present for the inaugural journey of the country's first Demu train with an AC coach at Kochi on Sunday , from Ernakulam Junction to Aluva. While the trip was free, those who went to purchase the ticket were asked to pay Rs 10.
Commuters were happy to have another service on the busy route and said the Memu train, which would replace the Demu train from Monday , had similar facilities and cleanliness and would to attract more passengers. “I am really happy about taking the maiden journey of Demu. I will keep the ticket and have taken pictures of the interior. I also took the first bus service which began from Vytilla Mobility Hub years ago,“ said Jancy Ebraham, a homemaker who had come down from Pookattupadi to take the first Demu trip.Ubaid C M, a young man who came from Aluva to Ernakulam Junction, wanted more city services like Demu. “Travel will become better if ticket rates are cheap on AC coaches. We need more service like the one launched today . But compared with Memu, Demu is slow.“
Nishad P K, his wife Greeshma Nishad and their daughter Sree Durga P Nishad came from Angamaly to Edappally for a ride on the Demu. Nishad says, “It is very comfortable. Such facilities will attract more people to travel by trains.“
City rail service to roll out today
Kerala's first city rail service -Cochin City Service -will be inaugurated at 10am on Sunday. At the same time, the DemuMemu deadlock is now at Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu's door and only he can withdraw the decision to change Demu to Memu after the inaugural service on Sunday. The minister and senior Southern Railway (SR) authorities reached Kochi late on Saturday.
Railway authorities had earlier announced that a Demu service, which has the country's first air-conditioned Demu coach, would run on the Aluva-Ernakulam-Tripunithura stretch as part of the city service.
Later, authorities decided that the Demu rake will be replaced with a Memu from Monday, when regular services begin.
“Now, everything is in the hands of the railway minister. We will not replace Demu with Memu if he issues an official order in this regard,“ said a senior SR official. Apart from the AC coach, Demu rake has better seats, separate coaches for vendors, women and handicapped and more safety features.
As per the present plan, the Demu rake will be sent back to Chennai. Authorities will allot a Demu once Ernakulam Railway Goods station (the old railway station located behind the high court) and Cochin Harbour Terminus Station are included in the city service.However, there won't be an airconditioned coach.
Meanwhile, the Demu rake was taken to Ernakulam's marshalling yard to give final-touches on Saturday morning. Around 100 workers cleaned the coaches, while others fixed the destination boards. “Unlike Memu, Demu has digital display boards at its front and rear ends. Work related to rake cleaning and its functioning will be over by Saturday night,“ said an officer.
The inaugural service will leave Ernakulam Junction at 10.40am and reach Aluva by 11.25am, and will return from Aluva at 11.45am and reach Ernakulam Junction at 12.30pm.
Starting next week, the train will have eight schedules from 6.30am to 8.55pm along the Aluva-Ernakulam-Tripunithura route six days a week, except Sunday.The train will have a service each to Angamaly and Piravom Road in the evening.
no inkling that he would be chosen to pilot the Demu rake.“I'm honoured that I have been chosen for the job and I'm happy that railways is going to operate a city service in Ernakulam, after years, that would benefit hundreds of commuters in Aluva, Ernakulam and Tripunithura,“ said George who began his career 16 years ago.
The Thiruvananthapuram railway division selected him on Saturday evening. “He is the most-experienced among the six pilots who underwent a four-day training programme at the diesel traction and training centre, Tiruchirappalli earlier this week. Also, he has been operating Memu services in the sector for quite some time,“ said M A Joju, chief crew controller at Ernakulam depot. Once regular services begin, other loco pilots KS Sooraj, AN Unni, CK Biju, Gerald Rex and EG Rajesh who also underwent training will be on duty on a rotational basis. The team members were given a training session by senior loco inspector KN Radhakrishnan on Friday while the DEMU was taken for trial run from Ernakulam Junction to Thrissur.
(Times of India dt 21-6-2015
(Malayala Manorama Kochi dt 21-6-2015)
Railway authorities had earlier announced that a Demu service, which has the country's first air-conditioned Demu coach, would run on the Aluva-Ernakulam-Tripunithura stretch as part of the city service.
Later, authorities decided that the Demu rake will be replaced with a Memu from Monday, when regular services begin.
“Now, everything is in the hands of the railway minister. We will not replace Demu with Memu if he issues an official order in this regard,“ said a senior SR official. Apart from the AC coach, Demu rake has better seats, separate coaches for vendors, women and handicapped and more safety features.
As per the present plan, the Demu rake will be sent back to Chennai. Authorities will allot a Demu once Ernakulam Railway Goods station (the old railway station located behind the high court) and Cochin Harbour Terminus Station are included in the city service.However, there won't be an airconditioned coach.
Meanwhile, the Demu rake was taken to Ernakulam's marshalling yard to give final-touches on Saturday morning. Around 100 workers cleaned the coaches, while others fixed the destination boards. “Unlike Memu, Demu has digital display boards at its front and rear ends. Work related to rake cleaning and its functioning will be over by Saturday night,“ said an officer.
The inaugural service will leave Ernakulam Junction at 10.40am and reach Aluva by 11.25am, and will return from Aluva at 11.45am and reach Ernakulam Junction at 12.30pm.
Starting next week, the train will have eight schedules from 6.30am to 8.55pm along the Aluva-Ernakulam-Tripunithura route six days a week, except Sunday.The train will have a service each to Angamaly and Piravom Road in the evening.
no inkling that he would be chosen to pilot the Demu rake.“I'm honoured that I have been chosen for the job and I'm happy that railways is going to operate a city service in Ernakulam, after years, that would benefit hundreds of commuters in Aluva, Ernakulam and Tripunithura,“ said George who began his career 16 years ago.
The Thiruvananthapuram railway division selected him on Saturday evening. “He is the most-experienced among the six pilots who underwent a four-day training programme at the diesel traction and training centre, Tiruchirappalli earlier this week. Also, he has been operating Memu services in the sector for quite some time,“ said M A Joju, chief crew controller at Ernakulam depot. Once regular services begin, other loco pilots KS Sooraj, AN Unni, CK Biju, Gerald Rex and EG Rajesh who also underwent training will be on duty on a rotational basis. The team members were given a training session by senior loco inspector KN Radhakrishnan on Friday while the DEMU was taken for trial run from Ernakulam Junction to Thrissur.
(Times of India dt 21-6-2015
Friday 19 June 2015
Memu to take over Demu from Day 2
The Demu rake, projected as the train to be used for the Cochin City Service with an air-conditioned chair car, will actually run only on Sunday--the inaugural day . The Thiruvananthapuram railway division authorities will replace the country's first air conditioned Demu coach with a normal Memu rake on Monday, when regular service commences. The new train will have eight schedules on the Aluva-Ernakulam-Tripunithura stretch, on all days except Sunday. The train will have one service each to Angamaly and Piravom Road in the evening hours on all operating days.
Railway minister Suresh Prabhu will flag off the Cochin City Service at 10am on Sunday at Ernakulam Junction. “The chief operations manager, southern railway , has informed that the Demu will be replaced with Memu rake on Monday . They said diesel Demu rakes are not operated on railway electrified tracks,“ said a senior Thiruvananthapuram divisional officer.
“Commuters can travel on passenger tickets in the air conditioned coach on the inaugural trip,“ said another senior officer. Authorities will allot Demu later on, once the Ernakulam Railway Goods station (the old railway station behind high court) and the Cochin Harbour Terminus Station are included in the Cochin City Service. The inaugural service will leave Ernakulam Junction at 10.40am to reach Aluva at 11.25am. In the return journey , the special train will leave Aluva at 11.45am to reach Ernakulam Junction at 12.30pm.
(Times of India dt 20-6-2015)
(The Hindu dt 20-6-2015)
(Mathrubhumi Kochi dt 20-6-2015)
(Malayala Manorama dt 20-6-2015)
(Malayala Manorama Metro dt 20-6-2015)
Railway minister Suresh Prabhu will flag off the Cochin City Service at 10am on Sunday at Ernakulam Junction. “The chief operations manager, southern railway , has informed that the Demu will be replaced with Memu rake on Monday . They said diesel Demu rakes are not operated on railway electrified tracks,“ said a senior Thiruvananthapuram divisional officer.
“Commuters can travel on passenger tickets in the air conditioned coach on the inaugural trip,“ said another senior officer. Authorities will allot Demu later on, once the Ernakulam Railway Goods station (the old railway station behind high court) and the Cochin Harbour Terminus Station are included in the Cochin City Service. The inaugural service will leave Ernakulam Junction at 10.40am to reach Aluva at 11.25am. In the return journey , the special train will leave Aluva at 11.45am to reach Ernakulam Junction at 12.30pm.
(Malayala Manorama Kochi dt 20-6-2015)
Thursday 18 June 2015
DEMU from Sunday
Demu starts journey on Sunday
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu To Inaugurate Local Train Service
The Aluva-Ernakulam Town-Tripunithura local train service -to be christened `Cochin City Service' -will be inaugurated by railway minister Suresh Prabhu on Sunday .
The diesel electric multiple unit (Demu) service will mark a significant step in rail commuter transport in central Kerala.
After the inauguration, the service will begin regular trips on Monday .
Kochi is the first city in the country to have a local train with two air-conditioned coaches. The service is being developed on the lines of local suburban services in metro cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.
“Once we start the service, it will be notified as a localsuburban train service. This will allow the signalling and communication facilities and amenities at stations on the route to be upgraded,“ said a senior official with the Thiruvananthapuram railway division. The first and most important change will be the introduction of an automatic sig nalling system that will enable trains to be run at five-minute intervals. “More trains, both local and long distance, can be introduced. Railways will then approve of additional tracks dedicated to suburban trains.Facilities like seats, foot overbridges (FOBs), ticket counters and shelters at stations will be upgraded,“ said the official.
Meanwhile, railway authorities and the state government informed that railway minister Suresh Prabhu would inaugurate the service on Sunday at 10am at Ernakulam Junction.
TOI was the first to start a campaign for a local service in Ernakulam, and reported about the plan to start such a service on February 22.
A senior official with the railway division said that TOI's report prompted officials to fast-track the project.
The Demu rake will have eight coaches two driving power cars (DPC), two trailing cars for vendors (TCV) and four trailing cars, including an air-conditioned one. While 86 passengers can travel in DPC (52 seating, 34 standing), 343 passengers can travel in a TCV (97 seating, 246 standing). A trailing car (TC) can carry up to 314 at a time (96 seating, 218 standing). The AC coach will have a seating capacity of 96.
As per the tentative timetable, the service will start from Ernakulam Junction at 6am and end at 8.30pm at the same station. The shuttle service will connect Aluva, Ernakulam North, Ernakulam Junction and Tripunithura.
In the evening, there will be single services to Angamaly and Piravom Road.
The timetable and ticket rates of AC coaches will be announced on Friday .
According to authorities, the railways had plans to put the Cochin City Service project on hold.
“Three days back, the Indian Railway had plans to put the project on hold and announce a few long-distance trains to Kerala. They also thought of replacing Demu with Memu.However, on Thursday , we received information that the Demu service will begin on Monday . The railway minister will inaugurate the service on Sunday morning,“ said a source.
TO ALUVA AND BACK IN A JIFFY
Kochi: The Demu service will mainly ease traffic woes of people travelling between Aluva and Ernakulam, railway officials said. Aluva station manager C Balakrishnan said that season tickets were mostly issued to passengers commuting between Aluva and Ernakulam. Those who travel by train from Tripunithura to Ernakulam or Aluva comes to about 600 during peak hours.Around 1,000 passengers travel by buses during peak hours.Paul Manvattom, All Kerala Railway Passengers Association president said, “Currently, only three trains stop at Tripunithura. The new Demu will see more passengers opting for trains.“
Nearly, 5,000 people commute between Aluva and Ernakulam on a daily basis, with about 4,000 season ticket holders travelling between 7am & 10.30am and 4 pm-7.30pm.Around 16,000 passengers travel by buses between Aluva and Tripunithura during peak hours.
(Times of India dt 19-6-2015)
(Malayala Manorama Kochi dt 19-6-2015)
(Mathrubhumi Kochi dt 19-6-2015)
This project is totally conceived, mooted, followed up & got approved by Divisional Railway authorities. Hats off to them.Wednesday 17 June 2015
Pollachi line ready
(Mathrubhumi Palakkad dt 20-6-2015)
(Mathrubhumi Palakkad dt 19-6-2015)
Monday 15 June 2015
Change in timing of 56364
(Malayala Manorama Thrissur dt 17-6-2015)
(Malayala Manorama Kochi dt 17-6-2015)
Kochi: Here comes good news for passengers who depend on the Ernakulam-Shoranur passenger (train no 56364). It is reliably learnt that the railway authorities have decided to advance the departure of the train from Ernakulam Junction from the present 6.05pm to 5.40pm. Authorities had conducted a survey among regulars on May 21 and a majority of them had requested the authorities to advance the timing to 5.40pm. The new timetable is likely to be effective from Wednesday. “The entire timetable will be announced only on Tuesday,“ said sources.
(Times of India dt 16-6-2015)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)