With trains galore, Bansal makes Thrissur happy

For the state, the Railway Budget might have been a largely forgettable one. However, railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal’s proposals have brought smiles on passengers from the Thrissur district. Thrissur will benefit from all the new trains and also from the extension of the Mainline Electrical Multiple Units (MEMU) service. The new Thrissur-Guruvayur passenger train will ensure better connectivity between the district capital and the temple city, and the extended service of the proposed MEMU between Thrissur and Ernakulam to Palakkad will guarantee better train service to Malabar for passengers from Thrissur. The weekly express trains announced between Lokmanya Tilak Terminus and Kochuveli and another between Visakhapatnam and Kollam will also benefit Thrissur. “Another train announced between Kacheguda in Andhra Pradesh and Mangalore, which passes through Shoranur Junction will also be beneficial for residents of Thrissur. The weekly Chandigarh-Kochuveli train which already has a stop in Thrissur has been made bi-weekly. Overall, it’s an good budget for Thrissur, when compared to other districts,” said Thrissur Railway Passengers’ Association (TRPA) general secretary P Krishnakumar. (Times of India dt 27-2-2013)