Patrons question longer travel time on Nagercoil-Mangaluru Amrit Bharat Express, demand extension to Goa

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.

Inconvenient for overnight travel

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.

Passenger needs and planning

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).

The proposed train could start from Kanniyakumari around 10 a.m. to reach Vasco at 12.30 p.m. the next day. In the return leg, the train could start at 2 p.m. from Vasco to reach Kanniyakumari at noon the next day, he suggested.

Longer journey time dilutes benefits

“The longer journey time of the Nagercoil-Mangaluru Junction Amrit Bharat Express service dilutes the premium facilities the train offers,” said B. Shreekara of Puttur Rail Yatri Sangha. The schedule of Train No. 16330 Mangaluru Junction-Nagercoil weekly express is ridiculous as the service operates with sleeper coaches during the daytime — from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., he pointed out.

Stating that there were four pairs of trains between Mangaluru and Nagercoil, Mr. Shreekara suggested extending the Amrit Bharat Express service to Subrahmanya Road to connect pilgrim town Kukke Subrahmanya with Thiruvananthapuram, Nagercoil and Kanniyakumari. He also proposed tightening the timetable of the proposed Nagercoil-Subrahmanya Road service to make it a win-win situation for the Railways as well as patrons.