GUWAHATI: The Assam Rail Passengers Association (ARPA) has questioned the cancellation of the 12 most essential passenger trains in Assam by the Northeast Frontier (NF) Railway and demands the immediate resumption of at least five essential train services.
21 passenger trains under the NF Railway were cancelled on December 3, 2020. Of the 21 trains, 12 are from Assam, which includes -
1. 12086/12085 Shatabdi Express: Dibrugarh- Guwahati
2. 15942/15941 Express: Dibrugarh- Jhajha
3. 12525/12526 Express: Dibrugarh- Kolkata
4. 15717/15718 Express: Guwahati- Mariani
5. 15771/15772 Express: Alipurduar- Kamakhya
6. 15911/15912 I/C Express: Tinsukia- Naharlagun
7. 15605/15606 I/C Express: Furkating- Dibrugarh
8. 55903/55904 Passenger: Mariani-Dimapur
9. 75911/75912 DEMU: Dibrugarh-Dangri
10. 55665/55666 Passenger: Silchar- Vengaichampu
11. 55605/55606 Seva Passenger: Murkongselelk- Dibrugarh
12. 55817/55818 Passenger: New Bongaigaon-Guwahati
Dipankar Sharma, General Secretary of the ARPA, told G Plus that although the NF Railway has cited lesser usage of these trains to be a probable reason behind the cancellation, it needs to be noted that the survey of the usage was done during the lockdown period of 2020.
"They surveyed the usage of the trains when people were hit by the pandemic and everything was closed down. Since Assam does not have sufficient inter-cities for daily commute, these 12 trains were the most essential services," Sharma said.
"Railways introduced a Zero-Based Special Train service during the pandemic. Although few trains have returned to the normal timings, the most important 12 were permanently cancelled without any justification to the commuters," he further added.
The Association has sought restoration of services of at least five trains urgently, which includes-
1. 12086/12085 Shatabdi Express: Dibrugarh- Lumding- Guwahati
3. 12525/12526 Superfast Express: Dibrugarh- Lakhimpur- Kolkata
5. 15771/15772 IntercityExpress: Alipurduar- Rangia-Kamakhya
9. 75911/75912 DEMU Passenger: Dibrugarh- Makum- Dangri
12. 55817/55818 Passenger: New Bongaigaon-Rangia- Guwahati
Sharma stated that with the expansion of any State, the intercity express proves to be the most efficient and affordable means of communication, especially for the working class and also for students. However, the unavailability of sufficient daily passenger trains and the cancellation of the ones that existed proved a major hindrance.
"When the trains existed in the busiest line, the Bongaigaon-Rangia-Guwahati, officer goers, students and shoppers used to come in the morning and return by late afternoon. But the cancellation of the trains have broken the schedule, compelling students to remain waiting in stations for hours. It is a complete loss of the valuable time of the people," he said.
Chief PRO of NF Railway, Sabyasachi De told G Plus, “The trains were probably cancelled during the first wave of the pandemic and I could comment on the restoration of services only after looking into the issue further.”