It seems that speeding up of this train will always remain a dream !! That is what can be concluded from this reply received after i raised it through the PG Portal.
Grievance Description: I would like to draw the attention of the ministry to the problems faced by travellers travelling by 18189/18190 Tata-Alleppey Express, commuting by which is a nightmare. First, this train covers a distance of about 2,300km in 52 hours at the rate of approximately 44kmph. On most stretches in Jharkhand, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, it travels extremely slowly and...
more... is given very low priority. There is ample scope to reduce its running time anywhere between six and eight hours by removing halts at small stations, which are well-serviced by other trains, and by upgrading it to a superfast category. Second, this train was introduced some 45 years ago, still continues to have ONLY 5 sleeper coaches from Tatanagar and is not able to meet the needs of the ever-growing number of passengers. Even a passenger train from Tatanagar has got more coaches .A long waiting list is a regular feature. It is high time this train is converted to a full fledged train with at least 9 sleeper coaches, at least 3 AC coaches and 4 general coaches and also reduce stoppages and convert to superfast . This will lead to high revenue generation for Chakradharpur division and also provide much needed relief to passengers travelling to South India.
Current Status : CASE CLOSED
Date of Action : 26 Feb 2015
Details : Proposal of withdrawal of stoppages of 18189/18190 in order to make lead to severe resentment among the existing users which is not desirable. Also augmentation of coaches as proposed is operationally not feasible as the subject pair of service gets amalgamated/bifurcated with/from 13351/13352 Dhanbad-Alleppy Express at Rourkela. Between Rourkela and Alleppy it is running with full load. However, running of 18189/18190 as a separate train was proposed in the IRTTC meeting which was not agreed to.
please wait...Translate to EnglishMan, it looks like this train ain't gonna speed up anytime soon! That's what I gathered from the response I got after filing a complaint on the PG Portal.
Here's the deal: I wanna bring attention to the issues faced by travelers on the 18189/18190 Tata-Alleppey Express. Let me tell you, it's a nightmare! This train takes a whopping 52 hours to cover a measly 2,300km at an average speed of around 44kmph. And don't even get me started on the slow crawl through Jharkhand, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. The train gets low priority and moves like a snail. They could easily shave off six to eight hours by skipping those small stations that are already serviced by other trains and upgrade it to a superfast category.
But wait, there's more! This train was introduced around 45 years ago and still only has 5 sleeper coaches from Tatanagar. It can't handle the growing number of passengers, man. Even a regular passenger train from Tatanagar has more coaches! It's a constant struggle to get a seat on this train, I tell ya.
It's about time they make this train legit, like a full-fledged train, you know? At least 9 sleeper coaches, 3 AC coaches, and 4 general coaches. They also need to cut down on the stops and make it superfast. It'll bring in more money for the Chakradharpur division and give some relief to folks traveling down South.
But guess what? The current status of this complaint is "CASE CLOSED." The action was taken on February 26, 2015, and here's the kicker: they're not doing anything about it. They don't wanna remove any stops 'cause it'll upset the existing users, and adding more coaches is supposedly not doable because this train merges with another one. They claim that the train is already running at full capacity between Rourkela and Alleppy. So, yeah, they shot down the idea of running it as a separate train in some fancy IRTTC meeting. What a bummer, man.
