Rail traffic limping back to normalcy in region

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, June 1

Rail traffic on the Amritsar-Ludhiana-New Delhi and Katra/Jammu-New Delhi sections is still to come back to normal after a week-long disruption from May 24 to 31 due to various traffic blocks for non-interlocking work on the Jalandhar Cantonment-Suchipind section when the railway authorities had to partly or fully cancel 36-odd trains. Five trains were diverted to alternative routes.

Information made available by Northern Railway indicated that even as the traffic blocks were over by Tuesday evening, several long-route trains originating from or terminating at Amritsar or Jammu/Katra were running late by several hours due to disruption caused during last week. “Many trains have not been able to maintain the time table due to cascading effect and it will take a couple of days more for the rail traffic to come back to normal,” said an official.

In particular, passengers travelling to and from Delhi by the two intercity trains. 12459/60 Amritsar-New Delhi-Amritsar and 14681/82 Jalandhar-New Delhi-Jalandhar, were a harassed lot as both pair of trains were delayed by two or seven hours. Similarly, the 12054 Amritsar-Haridwar Janshatabdi arrived here 3.45 hours behind schedule and its corresponding train, 12053 Haridwar-Amritsar, was also late by four hours.

Harried passengers, uncertain about the arrival  of their respective trains, were made to wait at the railway platforms here in extremely hot weather conditions. 

Many of them complained that water coolers at the platforms were non-functional and the railway vendors were overcharging for mineral water bottles, cold drinks and other eatables.

Among other train which failed to maintain the time table were 12355 Rajinder Nagar (Patna)-Jammu Tawi Archana Express (9.25 hrs), 15707 Katihar-Amritsar Amrapali Express (4.15 hours), 12919 (Indore-Jammu Tawi Malwa Express (3.26 hours), 12477 Jamnagar-Katra Sindhu Express (3.10 hours), 11057 Mumbai CST-Amritsar Express (3 hours), 15209 Saharsa-Amritsar Jansewa Express (2 hours), 12549 Durg-Jammu Tawi Superfats Express (2 hours) and 12357 Kolkata-Amritsar Durgiana Superfast Express (1.10 hours).

It was officially stated that 14673 Jaynagar-Amritsar Shaheed Express and 15211 Darbhanga-Amritsar Jannayak Express trains were cancelled for the day.