The Railways cancelled 150 trains on Monday, due to a Punjab bandh organized by the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political). The bandh, which had been announced the previous week, was part of the farmers’ ongoing protest. They have been demonstrating at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13, after their march to Delhi was blocked by security forces.
The protests led by these farmer groups resulted in the blocking of rail tracks from 7 am to 4 pm at multiple locations, disrupting both passenger and freight train services. In response, Northern Railways decided to cancel 150 trains, including three Vande Bharat Express services. These express trains included two operating between New Delhi and Vaishno Devi, and one between New Delhi and Amb Andaura.
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— North Western Railway (@NWRailways) December 29, 2024
Other notable train cancellations included three Shatabdi Express services, which connected New Delhi to Kalka, Amritsar, and Chandigarh, as well as several other major trains operating in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir. Additionally, the railways announced partial cancellations of seven trains, along with changes to 14 others. Some trains were rescheduled, short-originated, or short-terminated due to the disruptions.
Passengers traveling between Delhi and Chandigarh were advised by Ambala police to consider alternative routes via Panchkula, Barwala, Mullana, Yamunanagar, Radaur, Ladwa, and NH-44 at Pipli to avoid the affected areas.
The bandh was called by the Kisan Mazdoor Sanghrash Committee, with its leader Sarvan Singh Pandher stating that the protest was a means of pressuring the government to address the farmers’ demands. Pandher criticized the union government for ignoring the farmers’ concerns, emphasizing that the bandh aimed to force the Centre to take action on these long-standing issues.
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