New Delhi: As the farmers' stir continued on the fourth straight day on Saturday on the Punjab-Haryana border, train passengers are facing a tough time due to cancellation of scores of trains along the Ambala-Amritsar route.
Passengers have been facing lots of difficulties as train movement has been affected due to farmers’ protest on the rail track near the Punjab and Haryana border (Ambala division) since the last four days.
Several express and passenger trains have been either canceled or diverted on this route as the protesters have blocked this section, demanding the release of some farmers who were allegedly arrested by the police during the ongoing stir by the farmers.
Expressing his plight, Sourabh Kumar a passenger who wanted to go to Chandigarh told ETV Bharat, “I came to Delhi at my home last week, and now I want to go back at my work place in Chandigarh but due to trains getting canceled on this route, I have to travel through road transport that will put extra burden on my pocket and take more time for traveling.”
Several farmers have squatted and camped on rail tracks for the last four days regarding their demands.
Annoyed with the situation, Dilip Kashyap, another passenger, said, “We came to New Delhi station to go to Punjab by train but we came to know that due to protest on rail track several trains have been canceled now we have to travel in an inter-state bus on this summer heat weather.”
As per Railways data, 85 Mail Express trains passing through Ambala Railway Division have been canceled, while 22 Mail Express had to be short terminated. Also, routes of 230 trains have been changed. According to railway officials, overall the farmers' movement has affected 500 trains.
While the railways are running more and more summer special trains at various routes to clear extra rush, the department has to cancel or diverted trains on Haryana-Punjab side routes for blockade of rail track following which passengers are left in the lurch despite having reserved tickets.
“We are planning to take road transport and book bus tickets to travel to Himachal Pradesh because we don’t know how long this agitation will continue,” said Kavita Sharma, a resident of Loni.
"The railway department has a close look on the situation. Cancellation and diversions of passenger trains and freights put a heavy dent on revenue", a senior Northern Railway Official told ETV Bharat.
Senior DCM of Railways Naveen Kumar said that due to the cancellation of trains, Railways has created a help desk for the convenience of the passengers, through which people are being provided with regular updates about the movement of trains along the affected railway line so that they can plan their travel accordingly.
