Absence of passenger trains hurting daily commuters’ pockets

Mangaluru: Average train commuters are paying higher charges for no fault of theirs. After the Covid pandemic hit, all trains are being run as special trains. Moreover, passenger trains are currently running as mail/express trains, which charge higher ticket prices, complained many daily commuters.

Mail/express trains have a fare structure vastly different from passenger trains. For the first 50 km of the journey, the minimum fare is Rs 30. This has created a hassle for commuters who use the railway for short-distance travel.

The distance between Udupi-Kundapur is 45 km and the passengers have to pay the full Rs 30 for the journey. The same journey costs only Rs 15 on a passenger train. Similarly, the journey from Mangaluru-Puttur also costs Rs 30 now.

Railway officials told Udayavani that there are no passenger trains in operation in Karnataka at present. The passenger trains are run as mail/express trains. The Railway Board had decided to do so during the peak of the pandemic to control crowding on trains.

Sudha Krishnamurti, the PRO of Konkan railways said that several petitions have been sent to the railway board to restart passenger trains.”We are still awaiting railway board’s approval,” she added.