Alappuzha: The Railway Board is considering extending the Dhanbad Express, which currently starts from Alappuzha, to Thiruvananthapuram North. This has left passengers travelling north from Alappuzha worried. Passengers say the train, which frequently runs late, could affect the next day’s service if it is extended to Thiruvananthapuram.

Hundreds of passengers depend on the train, which departs from Alappuzha at 6 am.

In 6 months, train delayed on 81 days

The train arrived late at Alappuzha on 81 days in the past 6 months, with the delay reportedly exceeding an hour on many occasions. Passengers say that if the train is extended to Thiruvananthapuram, there may not be enough time to complete maintenance and other work and start the next day’s service on schedule when it arrives late.

This could affect hundreds of passengers travelling to Ernakulam, Thrissur and Palakkad for work and studies. Passenger organisations say the number of passengers boarding at Alappuzha alone can reach 1,000 to 1,500 on Mondays and days following holidays.

More trains needed, but not a delayed service

Passengers acknowledge that extending the service would provide an additional train between Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram. However, they argue that there would be little benefit in extending a service that cannot maintain its schedule. There is also a possibility that its timings towards Thiruvananthapuram could coincide with those of the Netravati Express.

They also point out that the extension would not address the long gaps between trains currently seen on the coastal route. Instead of extending the Dhanbad Express, passenger organisations have demanded that the Tata Express, which currently remains idle at Ernakulam for a considerable period, be extended to Thiruvananthapuram via Alappuzha.

Alappuzha coaching facility also under threat

The proposed extension of the Dhanbad Express to Thiruvananthapuram has also raised concerns about the future of the coaching depot at Alappuzha. Around 40 people working at Alappuzha station on tasks including cleaning the train fear that the move could affect their jobs.