Railway authorities’ apathy inconveniences passengers

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, November 14

Rail passengers said it had been since long that they are demanding the halt of Jammu Tawi-New Delhi Rajdhani Express(12426), Jammu Tawi-Sealdah Humsafar Express (22318) and Jammu Tawi-Delhi Sarai Rohilla Duronto Express (12266) at the city railway station, but to no avail as the authorities concerned have failed to raise their issues with the Ferozepur Division.

These trains had a halt at Ludhiana and Ambala Cantt, but had not been provided a halt in Jalandhar, the passengers said, adding that they were facing inconvenience as they had to take other long-route trains.

“A large number of passengers have been travelling to Jammu and Kashmir in the region. They are dependent on buses and other mode of transport as no direct train is running from the city on the route,” said a passenger, Sukhpreet Singh.

Sealdah-Jammu Tawi Humsafar Express, currently running on the Sealdah-Jammu Tawi route, connecting West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir, is the fastest train on the route. But as the train had no halt, students, natives of Jammu and Kashmir who were at present studying in the city, were taking buses to reach their homeland, said another passenger.

The passengers said: “Rajdhani Express and Duronto Express are Sealdah-Jammu-bound trains and Jalandhar have a lot of passengers on this route. If these trains are given a stop at the station, it would help the Northern Railways generate three times more revenue.

Railway officials claim that as Sealdah-Jammu Tawi Humsafar Express and other Jammu-bound trains were superfast trains. Their fare was comparatively high. Hence, passengers expect the train to have lesser number of stops so that they could reach their destinations fast. That is why they were having only seven or eight halts.

Meanwhile, state BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Shwait Malik while talking about the issue said the demand of passengers would be considered and he would convey the same to the DRM Ferozepur. He said the passengers would give their demands in writing to the district MP, MLA or authorities concerned and being a representative of people, they would raise their issues at the higher level.

Residents said many Jammu-bound trains had halt at stations where there were lesser number of passengers while there were a large number of people from Jammu in the city who were facing inconvenience.