After a year-long hiatus, Amritsar-Delhi Shatabdi back on track

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 11

The second pair of the New Delhi-Amritsar-New Delhi Shatabdi Express (02013/14) resumed its regular run after almost a year from Sunday morning.

With 700 passengers onboard it chugged out of the Amritsar railway station at 4.50 am and was scheduled to reach Delhi at 11.30 in the afternoon. The 02013 will arrive at Amritsar at 10.30 pm after departing from New Delhi at 4.30 pm. In it a chair car costs Rs 720 and executive class Rs 1,200 per person.

The train was discontinued during the Covid induced lockdown on March 22 last year. After the lifting of the lockdown the railway administration could not restore the rail traffic as agitating farmers blocked the rail traffic. The rail traffic on the Amritsar-Delhi mainline was restored only after the Kisan Mazdoor Sangarsh Committee (KMSC) had lifted their 169-day long sit-in at the Jandiala Guru railway station on March 11.

Then a pair of New Delhi-Amritsar-New Delhi Shatabdi Express (via Ludhiana) had resumed operation from March 13. It daily arrives at 1.25 pm and departs for Delhi at about 5 pm.

Northern Railway has announced to run 04053/54 New Delhi-Amritsar-New Delhi Shatabdi Express Weekly Special train from April 15. The 04053 Shatabdi train will leave New Delhi (on Thursdays only) at 7.20 am and reach Amritsar at 1.30 pm with a three-minute stoppage at Ludhiana (11.08 am) while the 04054 train will commence its return journey from Amritsar at 4.50 pm to reach New Delhi at 10.50 pm with a five-minute halt at Ludhiana (6.50 pm).

Meanwhile, the railway station wore a deserted look as people scared of surge in the Covid-19 cases were avoiding travel. So only one food plaza, a vend and two trolleys were opened at the railway station.

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