Trains to Sultanpur Lodhi off track for now: Railways

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Gidderpindi (Jalandhar), August 23

Even as there were plans to start special trains for Sultanpur Lodhi ahead of the 550th Gurpurb of Guru Nanak, the Railways will now have to assess the damage to the tracks on the route via the flood-ravaged Gidderpindi area before going ahead with it.

The track passing through the area is lying completely submerged around Gidderpindi, Nasirwal and other villages of Lohian with just the railway crossing and signals visible in most parts. Sand, stones and other concrete material under the tracks is also likely to have shifted because of the flow of water.

Area residents said when floods had hit this stretch in 2008, only tracks were left with the entire concrete material below slipping away and it took the Railways quite some time to bring those back into shape. “The entire track had to be repaired and material had to be refilled again,” recalled Davinder Singh, a villager.

Sultanpur Lodhi MLA Navtej Cheema said, “We were already working to strengthen the railway track to start special trains in a month. But the floods have marred the progress of the work. The Railways authorities will now have to check the damages first.”

Rajesh Aggarwal, Divisional Railway Manager, Ferozepur, said, “The actual structural damage will be known only after the flood water recedes.”

Rail traffic already hit

Since four days, the train services between Lohian in Jalandhar and Makhu in Ferozepur are lying suspended. The DMU and passenger trains passing through this stretch have been short-terminated. The trains starting from Ferozepur are terminating at Makhu and those coming from the Jalandhar side are halting at Lohian.