Passengers at Kerala’s Ernakulam Town station were left frustrated on Monday after an express train was halted for longer than scheduled to allow a Vande Bharat Express train to pass.
The Palaruvi Express train was forced to remain stationary at Mulanthuruthy Railway Station for around 30 minutes. Reacting to the delay, passengers staged a protest at the Ernakulam Town Station.
The Palaruvi Express was made to stop at Mulanthuruthy Station to allow Vande Bharat Express to pass and reach Ernakulam Station at around 8:25 am.
Palaruvi Express, which was scheduled to leave Mulanthuruthy Station at 7:52 am, was forced to stay put for half an hour. This prompted a protest from the passengers at Ernakulam Station wearing black badges.
The protestors also submitted a complaint to Balakrishna Panicker, the station master.
“The traffic from Kollam to Ernakulam via Kottayam is getting worse day by day. Due to the rush, it is common for passengers to get suffocated and fainted here. 16791 Palaruvi is holding at Mulanthuruthy (MNTT) where the congestion is at peak to pass Vandebharat also continues without resolution,” they said in the letter.
The passengers also included a list of demands seeking a resolution to the problem. The list included a request for additional coaches for Palaruvi Express and a “temporary solution to the congestion.” They also suggested holding the train at Thrippunithura instead of Mulanthuruthy for the passing of Vande Bharat without changing the schedule.
“So we are humbly requesting you to study the above demands and find an urgent solution to the sufferings of the passengers,” the protestors wrote at the end.
