Saturday 12 September, 2009

Passengers suffer as rain delays trains

JAIPUR : It was a tough day for passengers of Jaipur-Delhi rail route as all the trains of the route are running late after Delhi-bound Mandor Express got stuck on waterlogged rail track. The railway track got submerged and the rail traffic got disrupted after heavy downpour in Rajasthan and Delhi on Thursday.

Official sources said Jammu Tawi-Ajmer Pooja Express, Delhi-Ajmer Shatabdi Express and other trains of the route were running two to four hours behind their scheduled timings. Heavy rains in western Rajasthan and Delhi led to waterlogging and the rail track near Gurgaon got submerged. On Friday, Mandor Express got stuck on railway track. Therefore, other trains towards New Delhi also got delayed. Authorities informed that all the trains towards New Delhi were halted near Alwar till the track was cleared.

Authorities at Delhi railway station said the traffic was disturbed in the morning due to rains but it was restored later during the day. The authorities also confirmed that trains of Delhi-Jaipur route got delayed but traffic flow was normalized after a few hours. "Puja Express is running late by four hours while Shatabdi is late by two hours," said an official.

Sanjay Agarwal, a local businessman who was to board Delhi-bound train from Jaipur said that he opted for Volvo bus after railway inquiry announced that the train was running late by three hours. He said damage to rail track due to rains was not common, the authorities should ensure that the tracks are protected to prevent any untoward incident.

Another traveler Deepak Pandey said the railway inquiry at Jaipur railway station did not provided correct status of the Delhi-bound trains due to which commuters had to face problems. He said the commuters, who were stuck at railway station, were not able to decide whether to wait for train or take bus for Delhi.

NWR (North Western Railway) officials said the passengers were informed that the traffic was disrupted in Rewari section. Therefore, trains were delayed. He said all the Delhi and Jaipur bound trains were running late for three to four hours due to which commuters had heated arguments with the railway clerks on duty at inquiry window.

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