Passengers demand long distance trains from Gaya

Passengers demand long distance trains from Gaya

GAYA: Now that the second wash pit at the Gaya station has become operational, Grand Chord section rail users have stepped up pressure for the fulfilment of their long pending demands. For the last several years, railway authorities had been using the alibi of inadequate wash and maintenance facility to turn down the demand for the introduction of long distance trains.

Though the second wash pit was supposed to be ready in 2009-10, it became operational nearly seven years behind schedule. What pinches the Magadh rail users the most is the fact that though they ensured the victory of NDA candidates from all the four Lok Sabha constituencies in 2014, they have been given short shrift and none of their major demands have been met.

To add insult to injury, Gaya has been notified as a technical halt for the Howrah-New Delhi Duranto Express which means that the train stops at Gaya, but passengers cannot board here.

D K Jain, president of the Grand Chord Passengers' Association, submitted a memorandum to minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha during his visit to Gaya on Thursday, demanding introduction of trains for Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune and Bangalore with Gaya as the originating point. Except for Mumbai, direct trains are not available for places like Ahmedabad, Pune, Surat and Bangalore. Traffic on these routes has registered a sharp jump as job seekers, students as well as business persons go to these places in large numbers. Mumbai Mail, the main link with the commercial capital of the country, was introduced in the British era.

Besides the introduction of long distance trains, the passengers' body has also demanded increase in the frequency of trains like Nagpur-bound Deeksha Bhumi Express, Gaya-Chennai Express, Howrah-Amritsar Express, Gaya-Anand Vihar Garib Rath and Kamakhya Express.

The passengers' body has also demanded rescheduling of the 12389/12390 Gaya-Chennai Express to convert the two-day-one-night journey into two-night-one-day journey. This can be done by making the trains leave Gaya and Chennai in the evening and not in the morning as mandated by the present schedule.

Jain, also a member of the zonal consultative committee of the East Central Railway, has also demanded increase in Gaya quota in all long distance trains passing through Gaya and introduction of emergency quota in these trains.

Source:TOI