Thrissur (Kerala), March 12 Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi said on Thursday that the Railway Ministry has granted additional stops to two trains passing through Kerala, providing relief to passengers.
The trains are the Visakhapatnam-Kollam Express and the Nagercoil-Mangaluru Junction Amrit Bharat Express.
Gopi, the Union Minister of state for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism, said in a Facebook post that he had requested Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to allow the additional stops of the two trains, and that the request has been granted.
The Amrit Bharat Express, also known as the "Vande Bharat" for ordinary people, has been allowed to stop at Payyannur, Nileshwaram, and Kanhangad stations, he said.
Gopi added that he had requested Vaishnaw for this after witnessing firsthand the difficulties faced by passengers in north Malabar due to the lack of train stops between Kannur and Kasaragod.
Gopi said that the additional stops will provide relief to the personnel of the Naval Academy in Ezhimala, the soldiers of the Peringome CRPF camp, students, and patients traveling for treatment.
He also said that he had sought a stop at Irinjalakuda for the Visakhapatnam-Kollam Express, as it was a long-standing demand of the people in the Thrissur-Ernakulam border region.
The minister said that this has now become a reality and will be a great relief to passengers, especially those who travel in the morning for work purposes.
By stopping this train at Irinjalakuda while en route to Kollam, personnel and students going to work in the morning to places like Ernakulam and Kottayam will have better travel facilities, he said in his post.
The stop of inter-state trains at Irinjalakuda, which is a major hub between Thrissur and Ernakulam, will further accelerate the development of the region, he claimed.
Gopi thanked Vaishnaw for granting the two proposals he had moved.
