Kannur: Despite heavy rush of passengers, only 12 MEMU (Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit) trains run services in Kerala. When considering the traffic of railway passengers in Kerala, MEMU trains are the least operated here, when compared to other states. Further, of the MEMU services, only 10 trains (nine in Thiruvananthapuram division and one in Palakkad division) operate in Kerala completely.  

Of this, eight trains are operated only six days a week due to lack of enough rakes for replacement during maintenance. As a result, eight trains cannot be run on all days a week and six of them run services only across Kerala. The non-availability of 3-phase MEMU trains has been an added setback for Kerala. At present, the state lacks enough rakes to replace even damaged ones.

As per reports, there is no MEMU service on the Shoranur - Mangaluru (307 kilometre) route. A MEMU train from Shoranur terminates at Kannur station and another service from Kannur - Mangaluru (132 kilometre) is not operational now. Experts including Metro Man E Sreedharan had earlier pointed out that MEMU trains are utmost necessary for short-route services in Kerala. 

In Palakkad, there are six MEMU rakes (of eight coaches each) that are run in five routes. Here, one is used as a spare rake. Of these six, Palakkad - Ernakulam - Palakkad MEMU is the only one that operates within Kerala. Two others are operated via Tamil Nadu and one is via Palakkad - Coimbatore, Coimbatore - Shoranur routes. Also, Shoranur - Kannur - Shoranur MEMU does not run services on Sundays.  

In Kerala, there are two sheds that offer depot facility for maintaining MEMU rakes. They are located in Kollam and Palakkad. While the expansion of Palakkad MEMU shed came to a halt midway, a Rs 24-crore expansion project is underway in Kollam.