Train set afire at Anand Vihar railway station on Friday (Express Photo by Prem Nath Pandey)
Northern Railway decided to cancel all trains operating in the division in wake of the violence caused by followers of DSS chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim over his conviction by a special CBI court in Panchkula on Friday. According to railway officials, Shatabdi trains on the Delhi-Chandigarh-Delhi route, which had been scheduled for Friday afternoon, were also cancelled.
On Thursday, after receiving a formal request from the Punjab and Haryana governments, the Northern Railway had decided to cancel 89 trains in the division. But, on Friday, the Ambala Division of Northern Railways said trains would be cancelled for the next 24 hours in view of the situation.
“Over 300 trains have been cancelled for the next 24 hours,” Dinesh Kumar, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Ambala Division, told Chandigarh Newsline on Friday. He said a stocktaking of the damage would be done on Saturday. “In view of law and order, all trains, originating and passing through Ambala Division, have been cancelled up to 24 hours. Thereafter, the situation will be reviewed,” said the DRM on Twitter.
According to the railway officials, morning Shatabdi trains, operating on the Delhi-Chandigarh-Delhi route, have also been cancelled. “On Saturday morning, we will take a call about the afternoon and evening Shatabdi trains on the route,” said Kumar.
