Pollachi train passengers highlight various demands
The Pollachi Train Passengers Welfare Association has submitted a petition to the Railway Board and the Governor of Maharashtra, C.P. Radhakrishnan, pressing for the fulfilment of five vital demands concerning the Pollachi-Coimbatore and Palakkad-Pollachi-Dindigul sections of the Southern Railway.
Association president S. Balakrishnan emphasised that the Pollachi Junction serves four taluks- Pollachi, Kinathukadavu, Anaimalai and Valparai, and was in urgent need of improved rail connectivity for the benefit of tourists, pilgrims, professionals, students, and traders.
The association has called for the extension of the Bengaluru-Coimbatore Uday Express (Train Nos.: 22665/22666) to Pollachi and Kinathukadavu to benefit the large number of IT and private sector professionals from Pollachi and nearby regions who frequently travel to Bengaluru. It also sought the extension of the Ernakulam-Palakkad MEMU (Train Nos.: 66610/66609) to Pollachi via Anaimalai Road, which would greatly benefit students, employees, and tourists.
The association has also proposed to the authorities, the introduction of a direct overnight train from Pollachi to Chennai Central via Kinathukadavu, Erode, and Katpadi that departs from Pollachi Jn. at 9 p.m., instead of the existing Palakkad-MGR Central daily express that departs from Pollachi Jn. at 5.20 p.m.
It highlighted the need for a direct Tirunelveli-Mumbai (Dadar) Express via Palani, Pollachi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, and Madgaon (Goa) to improve connectivity to Udupi, Goa and Mumbai, benefitting pilgrims, tourists and businessmen. It also suggested increasing the frequency of the existing Tirunelveli- Mumbai Dadar Express (Train Nos.: 22630/22629).
Finally, the association has demanded an increase in the number of coaches in the Tiruchendur-Palakkad unreserved express (Train Nos.: 16731/16732) which currently has only 12 coaches. Citing daily overcrowding, the association has requested four additional unreserved and two to three reserved coaches, especially to serve the elderly, women, and children. Despite repeated petitions over the past seven years, the association noted that there had been no positive response and appealed for immediate action.
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