Title - Trains in Malabar witness heavy rush after recess

Passengers seek additional coaches, more services Most trains running through Malabar on Sunday witnessed heavy rush as students and employees returned after the nearly weeklong recess on account of Navaratri and Bakrid holidays. Students and other passengers found it difficult to enter and get off the crowded bogies.P.M. Sebastian, a native of Cherupuzha in the district, said he found it difficult to board the Nagercoil-bound Ernad express with his daughter and two of her friends on their way to Chalakudy in Thrissur from Payyannur.“I got a seat when the train reached Kozhikode, after standing in the crowded coach for over two-and-a-half hours. However, I did not feel wary of standing for long as I just cannot imagine taking buses and other public vehicles to travel long distances, Sebastian, a bank employee at Cherupuzha,” told The Hindu over phone.People are increasingly depending on rail travel due to the bad conditions of roads in Malabar, sources say.

More services should be introduced for the benefit of students and office-goers. Rush could be reduced by providing additional coaches, he said.

There were long queues for tickets at almost all railway stations in the region. On any day commuters find it difficult to get tickets during morning and evening peak hours as the number of counters are inadequate. Railway sources attribute this to lack of manpower. The Southern Railway had invited private firms to set up ticket counters near railway stations. The response was not very enthusiastic, sources said.