2 pairs of Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi, 18 other trains suspended

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, May 9

Due to persistent low occupancy in elite Shatabdi Express trains in the wake of spurt in Covid cases in, Vande Bharat and a few other long route trains have been suspended.

Northern Railway authorities have announced indefinite suspension of two pairs (02013/14 and 02029/30) of the New Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi Express, one pair (22439/40) of the New Delhi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express and nine pairs of other long-route trains catering to the needs of travelers in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir.

Norhern Railway officials said both pairs of the New Delhi-Ludhiana-Amritsar Shatabdi Express, along with the pair of the New Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat, would suspend operations from May 9 till further notice.

Among other trains to remain suspended from May 9 include 02265/66 Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Jammu Tawi Duronto Special Express, 02445/46 New Delhi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Festival Special Express, 02461/62 New Delhi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Shri Shakti Express, 04605/06 Rishikesh-Jammu Tawi Special Express, 04609/10 Rishikesh-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Hemkunt Express, 04639/40 Ferozepur-SAS Nagar (Mohali) Express, 02751/52 Nanded-Jammu Tawi Humsafar Express, 09415/16 Ahmedabad-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Special Express and 02919/20 Dr Ambedkar Nagar-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Malwa Express.

Meanwhile, Rajesh Aggrawal, Divisional Railway Manager, Ferozepur division, said passengers travelling out of Punjab should get themselves tested for Covid-19 while for the incoming passengers, a negative report was already mandatory as per the latest guidelines of the state government.

All passengers on railway platforms and on board the train must strictly follow all guidelines to curb the spread of coronavirus. Wearing face mask, maintaining social distance, use of sanitisers and frequent washing of hands is mandatory on railway platforms, the DRM added.