Passenger groups in Kerala press for more MEMU trains and coaches

Passenger organisations in Kerala are stepping up demands for additional coaches and a larger fleet of MEMU trains, pointing to persistent overcrowding on short-distance and inter-city express services.

The groups say the crush of commuters on these routes has become a recurring problem, and that capacity has not kept pace with the number of people turning to the railways.

Railway sources attribute the growing preference for train travel to two broad factors. One is the disruption caused by the ongoing widening of National Highway 66, which has made road journeys less reliable for many travellers. The other is the repeated increase in bus fares and fuel prices, which has made rail travel a comparatively cheaper option.

Taken together, these factors have pushed more passengers towards the rail network, intensifying pressure on services that were already stretched. The demand from passenger bodies centres on augmenting coach capacity and introducing more MEMU trains to absorb the extra load.

MEMU, or Mainline Electric Multiple Unit, services are typically used for short-distance commuter movement and are seen as suited to the kind of high-frequency, short-haul travel that has come under strain in the state.