No MEMU trains: Malabar commuters suffer under continued Railway neglect

Kannur: The Malabar region continues to face persistent neglect from the Railways, with authorities failing to allocate MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) trains to the sector. While the Kollam depot recently received a 12-coach MEMU and directives have been issued to start a new service on the Palakkad–Pollachi route, the 182 km Kannur–Mangaluru stretch has not been granted a single MEMU train.

Currently, the Shoranur–Kannur MEMU remains stationary at Kannur for nine hours every day. Despite recommendations to extend this service to Mangaluru, no action has been taken. Although the Palakkad MEMU shed was upgraded to maintain up to 25 coaches (rakes), the Railway Board has failed to induct new trains. Palakkad division currently operates only six MEMU rakes, all limited to eight coaches. These run six days a week, with one day reserved for maintenance, meaning any technical snag leads to total service cancellation as there are no spare rakes.

The Malabar MEMU crisis

Sole service: Only one MEMU (Shoranur–Kannur) operates in the Malabar region. There is zero MEMU connectivity on the crucial Kannur–Mangaluru route.

Limited reach: Fully Kerala-based services under Palakkad division are restricted to Palakkad–Ernakulam and Shoranur–Nilambur. Other routes include Palakkad Town–Coimbatore and Coimbatore–Shoranur.

Broken promises: The 2020 announcement to replace all passenger trains in Kerala with MEMUs remains unfulfilled, particularly in Malabar.

Reduced capacity: The Kannur–Mangaluru Unreserved Special, which previously had 15 coaches, has been reduced to 10–11 coaches, worsening the ordeal for commuters.

Passengers in Malabar are thus forced to wait for hours between trains.