Kolkata, Oct. 16 -- Passengers of the Kanyakumari-Dibrugarh Vivek Express staged a protest at Kamarkundu station on Friday over the train running nearly 18 hours late, holding up the Howrah-Gaya Vande Bharat Express for nearly an hour.
Passengers got down from the Vivek Express and blocked the tracks on the Howrah-Burdwan chord line. The disruption delayed the 22303 Howrah-Gaya Vande Bharat Express, which was scheduled to pass through Kamarkundu around 7 am.
Railway officials and Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel reached the spot and persuaded the protesters to clear the tracks. The Vivek Express departed at around 8 am, followed by the Vande Bharat Express at 8.04 am.
The Vivek Express was scheduled to arrive at Dankuni at 2.35 pm on Thursday but reached the station only at 5.40 am on Friday, nearly 15 hours late. It departed Dankuni at 5.53 am, against its scheduled departure time of 2.40 pm on Thursday.
Passengers grew agitated after the train remained stationary at Kamarkundu despite the prolonged delay.
Reportedly, a family travelling to New Jalpaiguri abandoned their journey at Kamarkundu, alleging unhygienic conditions, overcrowding and inadequate passenger amenities. The family had reserved seats in the S-4 coach from Dankuni to New Jalpaiguri but claimed that passengers without reservations had occupied seats, leaving them struggling to find adequate space. The family decided to return home despite the financial loss.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.