ROURKELA: Disruption of train services due to cyclone Fani and safety-related modernisation work have affected passengers at Rourkela railway station. With the cancellation of a few trains still continuing, passengers are facing a harrowing time.
As a precautionary measure ahead of cyclone Fani, the South Eastern Railway (SER) on May 1 announced cancellation of 36 trains on busy Howrah-Chennai route via Bhubaneswar and at least three trains on Howrah-Mumbai route via Rourkela.
Tapaswini Express from Puri and Tapaswini Express from Hatia remained cancelled on May 3 and 4 respectively affecting passengers at Rourkela. Similarly, pairs of Rourkela-Bhubaneswar Super Fast Inter-City Express along with Gunupur-Rourkela Rajyarani Express remained cancelled from May 2 to 4. The Puri-Haridwar Express on May 2 didn’t reach Rourkela as it was short-terminated at Tatanagar. Rourkela-Barbil Express from Rourkela remained cancelled on May 4 and 5, while the same train from Barbil did not ply on May 3 and 4.
To clear the stranded passengers, SER on May 5 ran one superfast special train between Howrah and Sambalpur via Rourkela. Similarly, another superfast special train had left from Hatia via Rourkela on May 4 night and reached Malatipatpur near Puri the next day.
Earlier, SER had announced to divert Puri-Hatia Tapaswini Express and Rourkela-Gunupur Rajya Rani Express via Narajmarthapur between April 25 and May 8 because of non-interlocking work under East Coast Railway (ECoR).
For various ongoing modernisation and safety related works, the SER on April 29 announced regulation of several trains. Accordingly, Sambalpur-Rourkela MEMU Passenger from Sambalpur and Rourkela-Jharsuguda MEMU Passenger from Rourkela remained cancelled till May 31. Four other passenger trains through Rourkela faced cancellation for two days in a week till May 31.
Social activist VP Tiwari stressed on the need to expedite laying of double tracks and total electrification of Bhubaneswar-Angul-Sambalpur-Jharusgua-Rourkala rail route as an alternative to minimise the adverse impact on train services owing to natural calamities or safety related works.
Cancelled trains
Sambalpur-Rourkela MEMU Passenger and Rourkela-Jharsuguda MEMU Passenger remained cancelled till May 31
Four passenger trains faced cancellation for two days in a week till May 31
Three trains on Howrah-Mumbai route via Rourkela cancelled during cyclone
Puri-Hatia Tapaswini Express and Rourkela-Gunupur Rajya Rani Express between April 25 and May 8 diverted