Kozhikode: Stand-up protest by train passengers over service cuts on Aug 16

Train passengers from northern Kerala will stage a stand-up protest at the Kozhikode railway station on Sunday, August 16, to press their long-pending demands, including the resumption of cancelled services and better rail connectivity for the Malabar region.

The Malabar Train Passengers’ Welfare Association, which has organised the protest, has accused the Southern Railway of neglecting the region’s needs. General secretary P.P. Ramanathan said on Saturday that neither new trains were being introduced nor were the services cancelled during the pandemic being restored.

Among the key demands is the resumption of the Kozhikode-Thrissur Passenger, which used to leave Kozhikode at 7.40 a.m., and the Thrissur-Kozhikode Passenger in the evening. The association has also sought the rescheduling of the Palakkad-Kannur Express to begin its journey at 4 p.m. from Shoranur, with halts at all stations en route. It has further asked for a MEMU train from Palakkad and new services connecting central Kerala districts with the northern part of the State.

The association has also demanded that the Kannur-Coimbatore Express be increased to at least 18 coaches and that its unscheduled halts between Shoranur and Kozhikode be removed. According to Mr. Ramanathan, these steps are essential to ease the chronic shortage of train services in Malabar.

The protest will be opened by K. Jayanth, MLA, at the station. A stand-up protest typically involves participants standing silently with placards, a form of demonstration that seeks to draw attention without disrupting railway operations. The association has said that if the demands are not met, it will intensify its agitation.

Saturday’s announcement comes close on the heels of Kozhikode MP M.K. Raghavan meeting Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in New Delhi. The MP had sought the minister’s intervention to address the severe shortage of special train services and the alleged discrimination towards Keralite passengers travelling home for Onam. He pointed out that 80% of the announced special services were concentrated in southern Kerala, while very few were allocated to the Malabar region.

The Kozhikode-Thrissur Passenger and its evening counterpart were vital for daily commuters, students, and traders who depend on the rail link between the two districts. Their prolonged absence has forced many to rely on buses, which are often overcrowded, especially during peak hours. Similarly, the proposed MEMU service from Palakkad is seen as a crucial step to cater to the growing suburban commuter traffic in the region.

So far, there has been no official response from the Southern Railway to the association’s demands. The protest highlights the persistent grievances of passengers in Malabar, who have been bearing the brunt of cancelled services since the pandemic. The lack of adequate rail infrastructure and frequency has long been a point of contention, with multiple associations and public representatives taking up the matter with the authorities. The coming days are likely to see further agitation if the issue remains unaddressed.