ECoR works behind trains delay

Bhubaneswar: Late running of trains like Vande Bharat, Rajdhani Express and Shatabdi on Friday and Saturday inconvenienced passengers. Sources attributed to ongoing safety-related modernisation works in Khurda Road railway division.Amritsar-Visakhapatnam Hirakund Express (20808) reached Bhubaneswar on Friday at 6.16 pm instead of its scheduled arrival at 2.20 pm. Similarly, Rishikesh-Puri Kalinga Utkal Express (18478) should have reached Puri at 3.25 am on Saturday, but it arrived at the station at 8 am.Even New Delhi-Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express (22824) was an hour and 44 minutes late on Friday. It reached Bhubaneswar at 6.44 pm instead of its scheduled arrival time of 5.30 pm.

Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express reached its destination around two hours late on Saturday.“Hirakund Exp was around four hours late on Friday. I reached home late due to the delay of my train. Punctuality of the train can become better with some reforms,” said Chandrika Sahu, a resident of Nayagarh.Another passenger, Jitendra Suna, who stays in Acharya Vihar, said, “If premium trains like Vande Bharat and Tejas Rajdhani get delayed, what can we expect from other express, intercity and local trains?”A spokesperson from East Coast Railway on Saturday said many trains are getting delayed because of safety-related modernisation works at different railway sections, including Puri and Khurda Road.