Train services in Punjab restored following ceasefire announcement, relief for migrant workers returning home

Train services in Punjab were hit Saturday as tensions escalated along the India-Pakistan border, leading to at least 24 trains getting cancelled and several others diverted or short-terminated. Railway authorities cited a “breakdown of law and order” for the affected train services. According to information from the Ferozepur and Ambala divisional railway offices, 35 trains were affected.
To facilitate outbound movement during heightened tension, railways had also introduced one-way special trains, such as Ferozepur to Patna and Amritsar to Howrah, scheduled for Sunday. However, it was noted that the Ferozepur Cantonment–Patna one-way reserved train departed Sunday afternoon with 575 vacant seats. Railway officials said seat availability and boarding information from connecting stations were shared with passengers.

Earlier this month, many migrant workers had rushed to return to their home states following the escalation of the border tension between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.

These special trains, according to Ferozepur railway division sources, have been running intermittently since the beginning of May to accommodate post-harvest travel. Amritsar to Saharsa (Bihar) one-way reserved special train departed on May 3. Three special one-way reserved trains from Jammu to New Delhi also operated between May 8 and 10 as border tensions grew in the wake of Operation Sindoor, India’s military strike targeting terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after May 6 midnight.

“After the harvest season, workers typically return home, so special trains are arranged,” said a railway employee on the condition of anonymity.

The border tensions had led to an increased rush at stations, particularly in Ludhiana, which hosts the highest migrant workforce in the state. “In May, about 20 per cent of the workforce travels back to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for the wedding season. Many who came only for wheat harvesting also return. Due to the tensions, several workers advanced their journeys, leading to brief chaos at Ludhiana, Amritsar, and Jalandhar stations. But now, the movement is happening as per the regular schedule,” said T R Mishra, a Ludhiana-based dyeing unit owner.

Some of the restored train services:

Amritsar–Chandigarh Express

Chandigarh–Amritsar Express

Jalandhar City–New Delhi Intercity Express

New Delhi–Amritsar Intercity Express

Amritsar–Haridwar Jan Shatabdi Express

Haridwar–Amritsar Jan Shatabdi Express

While the Lalkuan–Amritsar Express will remain cancelled on May 13, and the Amritsar–Lalkuan Express on May 14, other trains, including the Delhi–Fazilka Intercity Express, Fazilka–Delhi Intercity Express, Fazilka–Bathinda, and Bathinda–Fazilka, Fazilka to Kotkapura and Kotkapura – Fazilka Intercity Express (originally cancelled from May 11 to May 15), will now run as per schedule.

However, the New Delhi–Amritsar Shatabdi Express scheduled for Saturday evening was cancelled since the ceasefire news was received afterwards.
As train services return to normal, they provide huge relief to thousands of travellers, particularly migrant workers heading home to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Uttarakhand.