Revised Timing of Haridwar Intercity Becomes Major Headache for Punjab-Bound Passengers
Sri Ganganagar: For decades, the railway system has followed the practice that a train departing from a junction station leaves only after the arrival of connecting trains from other directions. This coordination ensures smooth train connectivity, which is the very purpose of a junction station. However, in recent times, officials from different railway zones’ operations departments appear to be acting arbitrarily, overlooking passenger convenience.
A recent example is the change in the departure timing of the daily Intercity Express running from Sri Ganganagar to Haridwar via Abohar and Bathinda. The revision has caused significant inconvenience to hundreds of passengers traveling towards Punjab. A mere five-minute change has forced travelers to wait nearly two hours at the station. This has not only affected passenger comfort and time but is also reportedly impacting railway revenue.
According to available information, a large number of devotees from various cities in Punjab travel to Rajasthan to visit Salasar Dham and Khatu Shyam Ji. On their return journey, these passengers board Train No. 14702 Aravali Express from Ringas at around 7:11 PM, reaching Sri Ganganagar at 4:15 AM. Previously, they could conveniently catch the Haridwar Intercity departing at 4:20 AM from Sri Ganganagar, enabling them to reach cities such as Abohar, Malout, Bathinda, Dhuri, Barnala, and Patiala.
However, the Railways recently rescheduled Train No. 14815 Haridwar Intercity Express to depart at 4:10 AM instead of 4:20 AM. As a result, passengers arriving by the Aravali Express at 4:15 AM miss the connecting train by just five minutes. They are then compelled to wait for Train No. 12482 Delhi Intercity Express, which departs at 6:10 AM—leading to an additional wait of nearly two hours.
Passengers have expressed that after an overnight journey, waiting for two hours on the platform in the early morning is extremely uncomfortable. Women, elderly passengers, and children are particularly affected. Sitting on open platforms during extreme cold or heat further aggravates the situation, and there have been instances where children and elderly travelers have fallen ill. Devotees say that returning from a religious pilgrimage already leaves them physically exhausted, and this additional delay only adds to their hardship.
Vijay Dahuja, President of the Shri Shyam Premi Rail Yatra Sangh in Abohar, stated that every month on the auspicious Ekadashi (Gyaras), their group travels to Khatu Dham with dozens of devotees. Due to the current timing mismatch, all returning passengers are facing serious inconvenience. He suggested that restoring the Haridwar Intercity’s departure time to 4:20 AM would provide relief to passengers and prevent revenue loss for the Railways.
Passengers have urged railway authorities to address the issue sensitively and reinstate the earlier timing to ensure smoother travel for hundreds of devotees.
Former ZRUCC member Bhim Sharma informed that the issue affecting devotees returning from Khatu Shyam Ji and Salasar has been brought to the attention of former Union Minister Nihal Chand. Efforts will be made to raise the matter with concerned officials and restore the previous departure time of the Haridwar Intercity.
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