THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Passengers have launched a protest against the action of deliberately halting other trains so that the Vande Bharat train can run on time. Passengers travelling via Alappuzha are protesting by wearing a badge which reads, 'Durithamee Yathra' (this journey in distress).

Passengers are alleging that the Railway is deliberately delaying various main trains running in Kerala to ensure that the Vande Bharat train runs on time. According to the passengers, trains like Intercity, Palaruvi, Rajdhani and Ernad are delayed by 45 minutes for Vande Bharat.

Several passengers had protested in Thiruvananthapuram after the Venad Express, which used to start at 5.05 a.m., was rescheduled to 5.25 a.m. Several complaints are being raised alleging that the sudden rescheduling is causing great inconvenience to regular passengers. The Kayamkulam Express departing from Ernakulam at 6.05 p.m. has been delayed by 40 minutes. Janashtabdi and Nagercoil-Kottayam passenger are some other trains that are getting delayed. However, Railway authorities are claiming that the trains are delayed due to maintenance work.

K J Paul Manvettam, president of All Kerala Railway Passengers Association said other trains are overcrowded due to the delay in trains.

‘If Venad Express reaches Ernakulam at 9.30 or 9.40 in the morning, it will be a big relief for the passengers. People are now boarding Palaruvi Express instead of Venad. This leads to congestion. Venad reaching at 10 o'clock is a big hassle for office goers. This causes them to be late to office. The authorities should take necessary steps to run the trains on time,’ K J Paul said.