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)
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