The Railways has decided to permanently increase the number of coaches in the Palakkad Junction-Ernakulam Junction MEMU, train numbers 66609 and 66610, from eight to 12, with the revised formation to come into effect from February 23. A senior railway official said the MEMU currently had a seating capacity of around 600 passengers and had been witnessing severe overcrowding, with more than 3,000 passengers travelling daily. The augmentation will increase seating capacity to 900 and is expected to provide major relief to thousands of daily commuters on one of Kerala's most crowded short distance services. In addition to the Palakkad-Ernakulam service, the Railway will also permanently augment the Kollam-Ernakulam MEMU, train numbers 06169 and 06170, and the Kollam-Kottayam MEMU, train numbers 66316 and 66315, to 12 coaches from the same date. The decision followed sustained pressure and joint recommendations from political representatives, railway passengers associations and officers of the Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram divisions, and was approved by Southern Railway. Officials indicated that the addition of four coaches for each augmented service would ease peak hour congestion and improve safety and comfort. The Palakkad-Ernakulam MEMU is a crucial daily commuter link connecting towns and employment hubs, including Ottapalam, Shoranur, Thrissur, Aluva and Ernakulam. Various railway passenger organisations had staged protests and submitted multiple representations demanding additional coaches, and public representatives, including members of parliament, had written to the Divisional Railway Manager seeking permanent augmentation. Rail officials expect the increased capacity to support regular commuter flows and to reduce reliance on overcrowded alternative services. P Krishnakumar, general secretary of the Thrissur railway passengers association, welcomed the permanent augmentation and urged that authorities consider increasing the rake numbers of MEMU and passenger trains to 16. He also called for the operation of passenger trains and MEMU services on all days, saying that regular daily services would better serve commuter needs. Railway sources said the changes are aimed at long term improvement in travel facilities and that further demands will be reviewed by the divisions.