The Railways on Friday cancelled multiple train services and rescheduled several others ahead of the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) planned protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Saturday, citing anticipated traffic congestion and operational reasons.
The cancellations announced by the Railway Board, Western Railway, North Western Railway and West Central Railway affect services connecting Delhi with several cities, including Mumbai, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Udaipur, Indore and Hisar.
The Railway Board cancelled select Mail and Express trains scheduled to arrive at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations between 4 am and 2 pm on October 10. The order applies to trains departing from their originating stations after 2 pm on October 9 and scheduled to reach either station during the specified period.
Western Railway announced that the Mumbai Central-New Delhi Rajdhani Express (12951) and the Mumbai Central-Hazrat Nizamuddin August Kranti Rajdhani Express (12953) would be rescheduled by five hours.
It also cancelled the Bandra Terminus-Hazrat Nizamuddin Express (12247), the Dr Ambedkar Nagar-New Delhi Express (20155), the Indore-Hazrat Nizamuddin Express (09309), the Indore-New Delhi Express (12415) and the Sabarmati-New Delhi Express (12957).
The North Western Railway cancelled 13 train services scheduled to operate to and from Delhi on October 9 and 10, citing “operational reasons”.
The Udaipur City-Hazrat Nizamuddin train (12964) and the Sriganganagar-Tilak Bridge train (14727) were cancelled for October 9.
Eleven services scheduled for October 10 were also cancelled. These include the Sirsa-Tilak Bridge (15308), Hazrat Nizamuddin-Udaipur City (12963), Tilak Bridge-Bhiwani (14738), Bhiwani-Tilak Bridge (14737) and Tilak Bridge-Sriganganagar (14728) trains.
The cancellations also affect Rewari-Delhi services (74004 and 54414), the Delhi-Rewari train (54421), Hisar-Delhi (54310), Hisar-New Delhi (54424) and New Delhi-Hisar (54423).
The West Central Railway (WCR) separately cancelled five Delhi-bound trains for one day, citing anticipated heavy traffic congestion in the national capital. The affected services are the Mahakaushal Express, Jabalpur-Nizamuddin Sampark Kranti, Jabalpur-Nizamuddin Superfast, Bhopal-Nizamuddin and Kota-Nizamuddin trains.
Asked whether the cancellations were linked to the planned protest, WCR chief public relations officer Madhur Verma told PTI Videos, “There is no message regarding protests with us.” He said the services were cancelled because heavy traffic congestion was anticipated in the Delhi area.
In a separate notice, the WCR's Bhopal public relations office said the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (Mumbai)-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express (22221), via Bhopal, had been cancelled at its originating station on October 9 due to operational reasons. Passengers boarding the train at Bhopal were advised to make alternative travel arrangements and check official railway enquiry services for updates.
The railway authorities have apologised for the inconvenience and urged passengers to verify their train schedules before travelling.
The disruptions come ahead of the CJP's proposed demonstration at Jantar Mantar on October 10, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The party has alleged irregularities in the revision exercise and claimed that Kumar bypassed his two fellow Election Commissioners in decisions concerning Form 6, which is used to apply for inclusion in electoral rolls.
Delhi Police have also urged the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to shut 57 metro stations to restrict the movement of young people expected to travel to the capital for the protest. Police have denied permission for the demonstration, citing concerns over public safety, law and order and traffic management.
(With inputs from PTI)
