Kuttippuram Station gets ₹11 crore Amrit Bharat upgrade – but why are passengers still unhappy?

The Kuttippuram Railway Station, upgraded under the union government’s Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, has transformed the historic 1888-era station with modern infrastructure valued at ₹11 crore.

The ₹11 crore investment has focused on passenger comfort and aesthetic upgrades. Both platforms have been enhanced with improved flooring and seating, while the main entrance has been widened and redesigned for a more attractive appearance.

New dedicated parking zones have been developed at the station entrance and behind Platform 2. Despite the major facelift, regular commuters are not satisfied.

The "missing stop" crisis

While the station looks brand new, long-distance commuters and the Railway Passenger Forum argue that the infrastructure is wasted without actual train stops. Currently, long-distance travellers face a major "connectivity gap."

After the 4:55 pm Coimbatore-Kannur Passenger, there is no train toward Kozhikode until the 8:45 pm Executive Express.

Passengers allege that since the introduction of the Vande Bharat service, existing schedules have been disrupted. The Thrissur-Kannur Passenger now arrives at 8:50 am instead of 7:45 am, causing students and office-goers to reach Kozhikode more than an hour late.

The 5:30 pm Kozhikode-Coimbatore train, largely used by patients travelling to eye hospitals, is often held at Shoranur for 1.5 hours, causing immense distress to elderly passengers.

"Infrastructure is welcome, but the true benefit of Amrit Bharat will only be felt when non-stop trains are allowed to halt here and the practice of delaying local passengers for express trains is stopped," says TP Mohan, Secretary of the Kuttippuram Railway Passenger Forum.

Demands raised by commuters

A group of students filed a complaint with the railway authorities and the minister, demanding that the travel time of the Thrissur-Kannur Passenger train be restored to its earlier schedule.

Similarly, the Shoranur-Kozhikode MEMU, which once arrived at Kuttippuram at 6:30 pm, now reaches as late as 9:30 pm, further isolating the station during peak evening hours. If the Coimbatore Intercity passing through this route in the morning is allowed to stop at Kuttippuram, it would provide a significant solution to the travel problem towards Shoranur.