Residents want ‘important’ trains to halt at Karnal

Tribune News Service

Karnal, May 22

The Karnal railway station, one of the oldest in the country and built by the British in 1892, is still waiting for various facilities, including stoppage for several ‘’important’’ trains.

Residents have been waiting for a gift in the shape of stoppage for a few trains at this station on the 125th year of its formation and 50 year of Haryana’s inception. They have also been expecting that railway lines connecting Karnal with Kaithal, Yamunanagar, Meerut, Jind, Patiala and Haridwar will be laid.

They claim even as there had been announcements of linking Karnal-Yamunanagar and Karnal-Kaithal by railway tracks and survey being done on these routes, no further action has been taken on the projects so far.

Residents have even written letters to Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, local MLA and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Karnal MP Ashwini Chopra demanding the due the station deserves.

“The railway station has completed 125 years of its foundation this year. It has been facing neglect with several facilities still not provided here,” said Rajiv Kumar, city resident who, along with others, wrote letters to the Railway Minister.

“We are demanding stoppage of the New Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi Express (12029/30), New Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi Express (1205/6), Delhi-Hoshiarpur Express (1411/12), Visakhapatnam-Amritsar-Hirakund Express (18507/8), Uttar Sampark Kranti (12445/6), Swaraj Sarvodaya Jammu Tawi Express (12471/2/3/4/5/6/7/8), Sai Nagar Shirdi-Kalka SF Express (22455/6), New Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi Express (12011/2) and others,” he added.

“On June 25 last year, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had promised stoppage of Sai Nagar Shirdi-Kalka SF Express (22455/6) at Karnal. We are still waiting for the promise to be fulfilled,” he added. It would be better for commuters if the government provided stoppage for the New Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi Express (12005/6) instead of the New Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi Express (12045/12046) here, he demanded.

Mahesh Bhatia, a businessman, said, “Announcements were made for the status of a junction to Karnal station on May 29, 1998, and later on February 24, 2010, and in the February 2011 Budget, but no avail so far.” The residents further demanded a rail coach factory in Karnal and recounted the promises made by the BJP during Assembly elections.