The Venad Express Arrives at Ernakulam Town

The 16301 Venad Express from Shoranur to Trivandrum arrives at the Ernakulam Town railway station nearly 15 minutes before time on a sunny evening. The 22-coach LHB train was hauled by Erode electric loco shed’s “MyG” branded WAP7 #37176. The Venad Express is the primary commuter train between Ernakulam and major towns to its south in central Kerala like Ettumanur, Kottayam, Changanasserry, Thiruvalla, Chengannur, etc. It arrives Ernakulam at 0950 in the morning and departs at 1720 in the evening. It is shocking that there are no trains from Ernakulam towards Kottayam one hour before or after it, despite it being a heavy rush hour. The train suffers from serious overcrowding (as evidenced by the people on the track) and it is common for people to faint inside the train. Despite repeated cries the railway authorities have so far turned a deaf ear towards introducing more MEMU trains on the route.