Regular delay of three passenger trains on Bhadrak, Cuttack routes irks passengers

BHUBANESWAR: Delay of local passenger trains in Berhampur-Bhadrak section and Cuttack-Paradeep section has created displeasure among the daily commuters and locals.
Three trains: Bhadrak-Cuttack Passenger, Cuttack-Paradeep Passenger and Palasa-Bhubaneswar Passenger- allegedly run late most of the time.
A group of passengers had lodged a complaint at Cuttack station with the Railways about the delay of Bhadrak-Cuttack (train number 58435) and Cuttack-Paradeep (58401).They urged the East Coast Railway (ECoR) to run the trains in time. It was one hour late on Wednesday, too, while writing the story.
Nrusingha Rout, a daily commuter, said the 58435 Bhadrak-Cuttack passenger reached Cuttack late most of the time. After it arrived at Cuttack station, it was run as Cuttack-Paradeep passenger. “If the first train reaches late, how can it run in time between Cuttack and Paradeep. I am a monthly season ticket (MST) holder and use the passenger train to reach my home every day. I feel frustrated with the daily delay by one to two hours,” he added.
Another passenger, Talib Uddin Ahmed said elderly people, patients, physically challenged persons and children travelled in the train. They felt tortured while travelling due to the delay, he added.
The 58420 Palasa-Bhubaneswar passenger also runs late on the route most of the time. So this train gets less number of passengers compared to other two local passenger trains run on the route in the morning time. “The train reaches at my station (Rambha) late. This train is stopped by the Railways midway or at any station to give line to superfast and express trains. It finally reaches its destination late by around one and half hour,” said Rama Nahak, a passenger from Ganjam.
Braj Mohan Agarwal, divisional railway manager of Khurda Road, said the division would review the punctuality of these passenger trains and try to run the trains without delay. “We will go through the complaints and streamline the services,” he added.
He said they had introduced mainline electric multiple unit (MEMU) trains on Berhampur-Cuttack route and Angul-Puri route. “These trains will replace the conventional trains and maintain punctuality. We have a plan to change these passenger trains with MEMU trains to solve the issues,” he added.