Kozhikode MP M.K. Raghavan on Wednesday (August 12, 2026) met Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw in New Delhi, demanding his urgent intervention regarding the severe shortage of special train services and the alleged discrimination shown by the Railways towards Keralite passengers travelling home for Onam.
The MP drew the Union Minister’s attention to the persistent regional disparity against north Kerala and the Malabar region in the special train services announced by the Southern Railway for Onam.
He pointed out that over 80% of the announced special services are focussed on south Kerala, while very few have been allocated to the Malabar region, an area heavily relied upon by expats, IT professionals, and students.
Mr. Raghavan said the special train running from Chennai to Mangaluru on the day of Uthradam is completely inadequate to manage the massive passenger rush to Malabar. The train has been assigned a mere six sleeper carriages. Although it includes 10 AC carriages across third AC and second AC classes, he informed the Minister that ordinary passengers cannot afford the high fares of AC travel.
In the light of these circumstances, Mr. Raghaven sought additional special trains from Chennai and Bengaluru to Mangaluru via Kozhikode to accommodate the festive demand.
Besides, the MP urged the Railway Minister to increase the number of sleeper carriages on the Chennai-Mangaluru special train and to take immediate steps to attach extra carriages to regular trains operating through north Kerala during the peak travel period from August 14 to September 6.
Mr. Vaishnaw assured that necessary and prompt action would be taken, Mr. Raghavan informed.
(The writer, Aleesha V. Joseph, is an intern with The Hindu)
Published – August 12, 2026 09:44 pm IST
