Patrons question longer travel time on Nagercoil-Mangaluru Amrit Bharat Express, demand extension to Goa
The Hindu
Rail patrons demand faster travel times and route extensions for the Nagercoil-Mangaluru Amrit Bharat Express to better serve passengers.
Rail patrons welcomed the introduction of a new Amrit Bharat Express between Nagercoil and Mangaluru Junction, but complained that the train takes 17.2 hours to traverse a distance of about 700 km, which translates to an average speed of around 40 km per hour.
Besides demanding speeding up of the service, they urged the Railway Ministry to extend the train to Kanniyakumari at the southern end, and to Subrahmanya Road/Vasco-da-Gama on the northern end to maximise the benefits of this common man’s premium service to a larger section of patrons.
Kanniyakumari District Railway Users’ Association Secretary P. Edward Jeni said the timetable of Train No. 16329/330 Nagercoil Junction-Mangaluru Junction Amrit Bharat Weekly express is not convenient for overnight travel needs, as it primarily operates during the day.
Departing from Nagerocil at 11.40 a.m. on Tuesdays, Train 16329 reaches Mangaluru Junction at 5 a.m. on Wednesdays, with a huge slack between Kasargod and Mangaluru Junction. It leaves Kasargod at 1.57 a.m. on Wednesdays to reach Mangaluru Junction at 5 a.m., which is roughly 3 hours as against the normal 35-40 minutes by any express train.
The service has 21 stops but is slower than the Nagercoil-Mangaluru Central Parasuram Express that has 54 stops, Mr. Jeni pointed out.
Stating that Indian Railways appears to have a clear disconnect between passenger needs and planning, Mr. Jeni sought extension of the train to Kanniyakumari (on Nagercoil side) and to Vasco-da-Gama/Madgaon (on Mangaluru side).
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