Ernakulam-Pune train from Nov 27

Pune Malayalee Federation president Rajan Nair said it was a long pending demand of Keralites. PMC’s programme committee chairman PC Nambiar said they had met the DRM on Wednesday. “It was confirmed on Wednesday that the Pune-Ernakulam train will be operational by the end of this week. Earlier,our delegation had met the railway authorities who were considering a special train to meet the expectation of Sabarimala devotees travelling to Kerala this season. Later,it was decided that the train announced in the budget will be introduced.”

Nair said they had met senior railway officers at the Rail Bhavan. “There were some issues about non-availability of rakes. However,the issue has been sorted out and we are happy that the train will be operational. It has been our demand for the pst ten years after the Poorna Express started plying in 2000,” Nambiar said.

The federation is planning to felicitate the DRM as well as railway officials on Sunday,November 28,as the inaugural train arrives in Pune. K Harinarayan,another federation member,said the train would be very convenient for North Keralites.

From Pune,on Wednesdays & Sundays at 6.45 pm

The bi-weekly train will start from Pune on Wednesdays and Sundays at 6.45 pm,reach Panvel at 9.30 pm and Ernakulam at 7 pm the next day. In the return leg,the train will run from Ernakulam on Tuesdays and Fridays and reach Panvel at 2.40 am,Pune at 5.50 am. The stops for the train include Chitwad,Lonavala,Karjat,Panvel,Roha,Chiplun,Ratnagiri,Kankavali,Sawantwadi,Karnali,Madgaon,Karwar,Kunta,Udupi,Manglore,Kasargod,Kannur,Kozhikode,Shornur and Thrissur. There will be 17 coaches,of which two are 3 AC,one 2 AC and eight sleeper coaches.