Heritage trains have only a few takers, railways stop service in Gurugram

GURUGRAM: Northern Railways has decided to stop the heritage train service in Gurugram because it has failed to strike a chord with tourists and locals. Two steam engines — Akbar and Azad — were being run on alternate Sundays from Farrukhnagar to Garhi Harsaru, covering a distance of 13.71 kms in 30 minutes, from September 15, this year.

Ashwani Lohani, the Indian Railway Board chairman, had come to Farrukhnagar to flag off the service and said, “The steam engines will be run to boost tourism.” However, according to railway officials, the service never attracted more than 20 passengers and hence has been stopped for now.

Dharampal Singh, a Hamirpur resident, said, “I have never seen more than 15-20 passengers in the trains. Most of them were labourers, and not tourists — the target group.” Railway officials, however, claimed the service was not just for tourists but locals too.

Deepika Gill, assistant divisional engineer, Delhi-Sarai Rohilla corridor, said, “The notification, which was issued during the launch of the service, had said that it would be stopped on November 25.” A fresh notification to restart the service had been expected but on Saturday, railway officials confirmed that no such thing would happen.

On November 24, many locals had gathered at the Farukhnagar railway station to click a selfie with Akbar, knowing they might not see it again. Akbar is easily recognised by its cone-shaped bulging nose with a silver star painted on it. Praveen, the train guard of Azad said, “The train has a capacity of 4,000 passengers in a timeframe of 30 minutes.” The fare between Farrukhnagar and Garhi Harsaru had been fixed as Rs10.

The two steam engines have been kept in the locomotive shed in Rewari for now. Both Azad and Akbar have been showcased in various movies. Azad has been part of Aamir Khan starrer ‘Rang de Basanti’. Akbar featured in movies such as ‘Sultan’ and ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’.