Daily passengers are of the opinion that the decision should be revoked and the previous train timings must be restored. (Express file photo)Written by Riya Sharma
The overhaul of the arrival and departure timings of several trains by the Northern Railways has become a cause of inconvenience to many passengers in the Punjab region.
According to the new schedule, the Chandigarh-Amritsar train will now depart at 6.40 am from Chandigarh and reach the holy city at 11.30 am. The departure timing for the evening train has been revised to 4.50 pm from 5.10 pm. Passengers working in both government and private sector, who travel between the two cities for work, said that the sudden change in timings will be inconvenient for them.
“Government employees of Punjab and Haryana are now opting to commute by their own conveyances as the train travel timings are not suitable, especially with biometric systems installed in government office premises,” said Gurmeet Singh, head of Ludhiana-Chandigarh MST union.
‘’Most government offices work up to 5 pm and it tends to be longer for the private sector, therefore, people are left with two alternatives, one is leaving their office early, which will affect their work, and the second is to opt for other means of commute,” said P S Ahuja, a private sector employee. Many frequent travellers, who used to take the train to Amritsar after finishing their work, said they will have to travel by their own car or take buses. “These alternatives are not cost-effective,’’ said Aman Singh, a government employee.
Daily passengers are of the opinion that the decision should be revoked and the previous train timings must be restored. The morning and the evening train timings should be set according to the comfort of the government as well as private sector employees, who are take the route frequently, they said.
