NEW DELHI, December 24: Harried passengers jostled at railway platforms to find a place to rest as trains continued to get delayed owning to fog and a demonstration by passengers at the Ballabgarh-Faridabad junction. The passengers protested against the delay and held the Mathura-Plawal train to ransom. The train was not allowed to leave the station for two hours. A handful of them even entered the office of Senior Station Manager and entered into an argument. ``We understand that there is a problem, but at least they (the officials) should show some respect towards the passengers,'' said one. Arrivals got delayed by five to 10 hours. Some of the trains running late included Howrah Express, Paschim Express and Howrah Janata Express. Bombay Superfast topped the list, being 10 hours behind schedule.The Railways were also criticised for not apprising passengers about the delays over the phone. Railway spokesperson Chandrelekha Mukherjee made it clear that this was not possible. ``The departure and arrival of a train depends on weather conditions. If the signal is clear, the train moves, though at snail's pace, to ensure security. For example yesterday, the fog was present round the clock on the Delhi-Ambala sector, resulting in the delay of trains arriving from that sector,'' she said.
Apart from delays, cancellations also caused inconvenience to the passengers. Some of the trains that were cancelled today included Ludhiana Express, Sriganganagar Express and Bhatinda Express.
Amrit Handi, an NRI from Britain, arrived at the station at 4 pm to board the Paschim Express. ``We tried to confirm the timings before arriving, but the calls were perpetually engaged,'' he lamented. To cope with the problem, the Railways have cut down the speed to 30 km per hour from 100-160 km per hour. People have been stationed to man important signals. Two cancellation and refund counters have been set up for those who want to collect refund.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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