1.85% of Shramik trains diverted: Rly

NEWDELHI: 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.