Kannur: Passengers have raised complaints about the seat reservation system on the Kannur-Thiruvananthapuram Jan Shatabdi Express (12081/12082) in Kerala. Many travelers have alleged that despite booking window seats, they are often assigned different seats. Passengers have reported discrepancies with the new coach layout, with specific seat reservations not being followed. 

The issue arose after the Jan Shatabdi Express switched to LHB (Linke Hofmann Busch) coaches. Although both the previous and current coaches have 106 seats, a layout shift in the LHB coaches is causing confusion. Railway officials indicate that the situation can only be rectified if the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) updates its reservation framework.

Though the Jan Shatabdi has been upgraded to LHB coaches, passengers had previously raised concerns about the new seating arrangement making travel uncomfortable. The new LHB coaches feature seats arranged in an “L” shape, which passengers say makes travel uncomfortable. In contrast to the previous layout with individual seats, the updated design has a continuous bench seating three passengers in a single row, adding to passenger dissatisfaction.