1.85% of Shramik trains diverted: Rly

Out of 3,840 trains, 71 were diverted to deal with network congestion only between May 20 and May 24

The railways operated 3,840 Shramik Special trains that ferried 5.2 million migrants since May 1 and only 71 trains, or 1.85%, were diverted because of route congestion, the national transporter said on Friday, defending itself against criticism of delays and poor services.

At a press conference, railway board chairman VK Yadav also said that it was not possible for trains to get “lost”, referring to reports of trains bound for one state ending up in another state.

“Out of 3,840 trains, 71 were diverted to deal with network congestion only between May 20 and May 24, as the railways had to meet demand of the respective states, nearly 90% of the trains were going to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,” Yadav said.

Among the 71 diverted trains, 51 were bound for Bihar, 16 for Uttar Pradesh, two for Jharkhand, and one each for Assam and Manipur. The trains had originated mainly from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Rajasthan.

“Only four trains took more than three days to reach the destination states in the north eastern part of the country,” Yadav clarified, adding that allegations of trains taking nearly nine days to reach destinations were incorrect.

The national carrier had come under criticism over the delay and diversion of several Shramik trains in the last week. A Gorakhpur-bound train from Maharashtra ended up in Rourkela, Odisha, adding two days and five states to the original route.

But the railways blamed route congestion for the chaos.

The railways said last Sunday that the convergence of trains to these destinations caused congestion in the network, and added that the total number of trains to the region had increased.

Yadav said uncertainty in demand also led to the congestion. “As per railway capacity, it was not a 24-hour steady flow. The originations of Shramik Special trains took place after completing all the local protocols by the state mostly in post noon 16-24 shift. Thus, this left one-third route capacity per day to handle these trains,” he said.

“It appears that demand for these trains is declining from the originating state. 137 trains were flagged yesterday (Thursday) and 172 the day before (Wednesday). Demand for trains has been going down in the last two days,” Yadav said.

Nearly 1,524 Shramik Specials were operated from May 22 to May 28 and ferried two million passengers. Last week, states had asked for 923 trains, but the number stood at 450 on Thursday. “Railways has accommodated almost all requests ...we are ready to meet all demands. We will run Shramik Trains for as long as they are needed. Each migrant will be transported,” he said.