Passengers complain of lack of facilities on the train despite regular delays due to fog These days,travelling by the Delhi-Chandigarh Shatabdi Express is no less than being held captive for hours. Due to the heavy fog in the region,the train has been running late for hours. As a result,the passengers have to wait inside the train without food or water. Except the snacks meant for a three hour journey,the passengers get nothing,even if the journey takes double the usual time. Also,as the passengers are not intimidated about the delay,the problem worsens. Yesterday,the New Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi Express reached after midnight against its arrival time of 8:37 pm. The passengers had to wait for more than two hours at the New Delhi railway station. Even the railway authorities were not sure about the time the train would start, a passenger said. A fortnight ago,the Shatabdi Express twice reached Chandigarh after 3 am. All this while,the passengers were holed up in the compartments without food. You cant imagine the trauma passengers face when the Shatabdi runs late? People with small children have to look towards the pantry staff,who gives blank looks. Nobody knows how much time the train will take to reach Chandigarh. Despite the public address system on the train,passengers are not intimated about the stations the train crosses. And passengers are not able to spot the stations due to the fog, an angry passenger said. Another passenger complained about the failure of the railway authorities in making adequate arrangements in case of regular delays. Normally,no arrangement for extra food or water is made on the Shatabdis. Usually,only tea is served on this train. But when the train gets delayed by four hours,some arrangement should be made by the authorities, Rajan Kalra,who travels frequently to Delhi,said. Divisional Railway Manager,Ambala,H K Jaggi said he would look into the matter. According to the rules,in case of an accident or any abnormality we do provide extra food. Since food is the responsibility of the IRCTC,I need to check the status in case of regular delays. Trains continue to run lateDue to the fog,trains continued to run late on Sunday. The New Delhi-Kalka Himalayan Queen Express was cancelled and the Howrah-Kalka Mail was delayed indefinitely earlier the train was running late by 20 hours. The New Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi Express reached Chandigarh three hours late at 2 pm. The evening Shatabdi started from Delhi at 7:25 pm,two hours late from its scheduled departure of 5:25 pm,and the Jan Shatabdi was delayed by one hour.
