Vande Bharat train halted at Goneana as commuters’ protest it delays passenger trains

The newly launched Ferozepur-Delhi Vande Bharat train was halted for nearly 17 minutes after some daily passengers lodged a protest on the railway tracks at the Goneana Bhai Jagta railway station in Bathinda district on Tuesday morning, alleging that the high-speed train often causes delays to passenger trains.

Some daily passengers said the disruption of passenger trains was affecting their work schedules and routine travel.

Bhucho DSP Pritpal Singh, who visited the railway station, said that two trains, a passenger service and the Vande Bharat, run from Ferozepur with a narrow time gap when they reach Goneana.

“If the passenger train arrives well ahead of the Vande Bharat, it is cleared first. However, if the gap is small, the passenger train is halted briefly to allow the Vande Bharat to pass. Today, the Vande Bharat arrived at 8:38 am, and because it was running close behind, the passenger train had to be stopped for some time. This led to some unidentified passengers protesting on the tracks. As a result, railway officials halted the Vande Bharat at a safe distance and first cleared the passenger train,” said the DSP.

He added that they had video footage of those who obstructed train movement, and the Railway Protection Force was taking action in this regard.