Daily rail commuters hit by farmers’ agitation

Nitish Sharma

Ambala, April 20

The ongoing farmers’ agitation on the Ambala-Sahnewal track at Shambhu has left daily rail users stranded.

A large number of people, who commute on a daily basis to other cities for jobs, prefer the Monthly Season Ticket (MST) of the railways as it is cheaper than travelling in buses or using personal vehicles. However, due to the agitation, trains have been cancelled or diverted, forcing them to travel by buses, taxies or private vehicles.

Track-related limitations

The Ambala Division has been trying to run maximum trains by diverting through other routes, but there are track-related limitations due to which the trains are being cancelled. About 500 trains have been affected since the agitation started, and about 130 to 150 trains are being affected daily. Efforts are being made to minimise passenger inconvenience. Naveen Kumar, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager

Vinay Kumar, a daily passenger, said: “I work at a private firm in Rajpura and travel daily from Ambala by train, but now I have to take a bus. Since the Shambhu toll plaza at the Ambala-Punjab border is already closed, buses are using alternative routes. It takes over an hour to reach the destination while in routine, it takes about 30 minutes.”

Jagmohan Sukhija, another commuter, said: “I used to travel by the Delhi-Pathankot Express and Shan-e-Punjab Express from Karnal to Ambala, but both trains were cancelled when the agitation began. Due to the cancellation of trains, our schedule has got disturbed and the crowd in roadways buses has also increased. Other passengers will get refunds, but daily passengers will not be compensated for the financial burden they have been bearing.”

Praveen Bajaj, a daily passenger, said: “I have a garments manufacturing business in Ludhiana and travel there on a daily basis, but since the track is blocked, I have not been able to visit my unit. I have been giving directions to employees on phone. Travelling by car costs about Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000, which is not viable.”

As per information, several trains, including Chandigarh-Amritsar Express, Delhi-Katra Express, Delhi-Pathankot, Haridwar-Amritsar Janshatabdi, Amritsar-New Delhi Shan-e-Punjab Express, Ambala-Dhuri, Ludhiana-Ambala MEMU, and Shri Ganganagar-Rishikesh Express were cancelled.

Several other trains, including Jaynagar-Amritsar, Kolkata Terminal-Jammu Tawi, New Delhi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express, Ambala Cantonment-Shri Ganganagar Express, and Ajmer-Jammu Tawi Express were running on diverted routes. Similarly, several trains were short-terminated and short-originated.