Alappuzha | Congress MP KC Venugopal has expressed apprehension that the Railways' proposal to extend the Dhanbad Express to Thiruvananthapuram is a move to facilitate the closure of the maintenance depot in Alappuzha and the dismantling of its pit line in the name of doubling the railway line.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday night, the Alappuzha MP said the move to dismantle existing railway infrastructure could adversely affect railway development in the coastal district.

"At a time when coach maintenance centres in Keralam are facing severe space constraints, dismantling existing functional infrastructure is not logical," he said.

Venugopal said he had written to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, opposing any move that would adversely affect railway development in Alappuzha.

He urged the Railway Minister to consider the recommendations of the mechanical wing, make necessary changes to the engineering layout of Southern Railway and construct a new pit line with modern facilities within the Alappuzha yard itself.

The Dhanbad-Alappuzha Express is the only train that originates and terminates in Alappuzha and operates a daily service to North India, he said, adding that Alappuzha should continue to be its originating and terminating station.

Recently, Railways announced the extension of the daily Dhanbad Express service to Thiruvananthapuram, a move welcomed by passengers as a relief from travel woes between Ernakulam and the state capital.

He also suggested extending the Tatanagar Express to Thiruvananthapuram via Alappuzha as a practical alternative, noting that the train remains idle for several hours in Ernakulam after completing its service there.

Venugopal said he had also urged the Centre to introduce more long-distance train services originating from Alappuzha once the track-doubling work is completed, given the growing passenger demand.

He expressed hope that the Railway Ministry would intervene in the matter at the earliest.