[McLaren_P1]

Originally Posted by Gsynch

The infographic was done by the teams at https://tradebrains.in/

Full credit to them!

As an aside - They have some really cool research going on their website.

A bit strange that their name was blurred out, especially when it seems they spent the effort to create the chart - there should be some credit and recognition, I would think.

[binand]

Originally Posted by lina

The point Im trying to make here is that Kerala has a good railway network wrt other states.

As I mentioned in the previous post - this is very subjective and we can agree to disagree. Kerala's terrible rail infrastructure is well-documented; for example 24coaches.com has written extensively about it. A starting point could be here:

https://24coaches.com/kerala-has-the...ture-in-india/

Another link with some info is this: https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news...ears-1.8168458

A comparison that'd be on context for this thread would be between the percentage of towns with > 50K population (say) on the rail network in Kerala and in other states; it would quickly show how far behind the state is when compared to its peers/neighbours.

Originally Posted by lina

And nitpicking here but Thiruvalla is in Pathanamthitta which has the main double-electrified kottayam railway line going through it.

Yes, thank you - missed that 7 km of railway line and 1 station.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by lina

I do not agree with this. It is a lot faster to travel across the state by rail. Try doing a drive from Kochi to Kozhikode by car, it will take you 5+hours while most trains will do it in 4 and some even around 3 hours.
People buy cars in Kerala because they are rich. Just like how they build fancy houses, they buy cars and lots of them.

Its uncanny you should say this. I was discussing exactly this with my Dad. It is far more efficient, comfortable, stress free and easy to take the train between Bangalore and Madras and / or Madras and Bangalore rather than fly or drive. Considering the Shatabdi Express and this Vande Bharat Express and the old Brindavan and Madras/ Bangalore mail etc.

[lina]

Originally Posted by binand

As I mentioned in the previous post - this is very subjective and we can agree to disagree. Kerala's terrible rail infrastructure is well-documented; for example 24coaches.com has written extensively about it. A starting point could be here:

https://24coaches.com/kerala-has-the...ture-in-india/

The article is from 2018 and tries to look out for negatives. Most of the negatives apply a lot more towards Karnataka which has 1/3rd the car ownership. My point here is not to say that Kerala has the greatest railway network, it is to say that it does not have any correlation to car ownership.

My answers to the points in that article.
Ernakulam-Kottayam line is now doubled.
Karnataka hardly has any good railway lines even today connecting its major cities. The additional lines added were also single line diesel tracks which still hardly have any trains running on them.
Bangalore suburban is still on paper.
Yes TN has better infra. But look at KA. the HSRA route has the worst signalling on the planet. Most trains are delyayed by minimum of 1 hour. Just check any long distance train between SBC and HSRA.
Yes, Chengottai line took time. Same with MAQ line in KA. It is a railway thing. Nothing kerala-specific here. Even converting Chengalpet line to broad gauge took forever. same with pollachi.
Shatabdi in KA and TN run on one route. has 2 stops each in KA and TN. Thats it. Same with VB. the SBC MAS route is over-serviced with trains while cities like Hubli and Mangalore get no attention. At least there are a lot of trains connecting TVC, ERS, TCR, PGT, CLT and CAN. This cant be said about KA. All major population centers are connected by multiple daily trains.
New train allocation is usually just to score political points. I would rather have more punctual existing trains than constantly adding more trains on an overcrowded infra. This is what is happening on the SBC-MAS route currently where so many trains are delayed to allow for more fancy trains.
Railway stations country-wide have pathetic infra. Some have fancy facades but inside its usually terrible. No protection from rain, no consistent access and usually no proper public transport connection. At least Kerala ensures good bus transit at most railway stations and has an auto-system that helps the last mile unlike most places in TN and KA.

Thats all I have to say as a regular user of the rail networks of all 3 southern states and regular driver too. Yes, number of fancy trains are a lot lesser but if I have to choose between driving from BLR-Hubli and taking a train I will always choose driving while if I have to choose between driving and taking a train from Kozhikode to Ernakulam I will always choose the train. There are more trains and last mile is a breeze at both Kozhikode and Ernakulam. The same is true of any major town in Kerala.

From my personal experiences I am convinced that car ownership has no correlation with rail infra or public transport. I myself drive a lot and use public transport a lot. There are different use cases for both.