Double-lane rail track to miss another deadline

Mohit Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 12

The railway authorities have given yet another deadline for the completion of the double-lane railway track between Ambala and Chandigarh.

Asked about when the double-lane track will be made operational as it has already jumped so many deadlines, GM (Nothern Railways) RK Kulshreshta echoed the same sentiments and asked the official concerned about the expected date when the project will be completed. “It was in March last year that the project was supposed to be completed. Tell me the status,” Kulshreshta asked the railway official.

The railway official said the track would be made operational by September this year. “Engine rolling has already been completed. The delay has been due to a shortage of material for the electrification of the track,” said the official.

The much-awaited project was expected to be completed in March 2016. The project was started by the railway division in 2001 for facilitating the faster movement of trains.

Shatabdi timetable to change

Much to the delight of government employees, who were demanding the ferrying of the Delhi-Chandigarh Shatabdi on weekends, DRM Dinesh Kumar said a proposal had been given for ferrying the train on weekends. As per the new timetable that would come into effect from October, the Shatabdi train that leaves the station at 12 noon will not ferry on Wednesday, instead it will be operational on Sunday.

Subway proposal also discussed

Besides discussing the blueprint of the world-class railway station, the railway authorities also discussed the modalities of developing a subway. The subway will connect the Panchkula side of the railway station to the highway near Kalagram.

Projects to be taken up with Haryana CM

Besides the inspection, the GM was here to discuss modalities of land accusation for the pending projects with Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar. The projects that have been lying pending are the Yumananagar- Jagadhri- Chandigarh rail route, Kaithal-Patiala railway route, Chandigarh-Baddi rail route, land accusation for the Jodhepur and Yumananagar railway track and the land accusation for setting up a rail coach factory in Sonepat.

“The land accusation formalities with Himachal about the Baddi rail project have been completed whereas talks with Haryana regarding this projected have started,” said the GM.

Tejas not likely in near future

The much-hyped Tejas (high speed train) and other fast moving train are not likely to start soon. According to RK Kulshreshta, GM, Northern Railway, “There is no such move in the process currently. Anything pertaining to this will be decided by the Ministry of Railways,” said Kulshreshta. He further ruled out any move of running high speed train from Ambala to Delhi in near future. Recently, a French team had inspected the route and suggested to straighten the curves. He said that the Ambala-Delhi route was a busy one and any alteration in the track would be highly unlikely.