Passengers protest over train delay

 Hundreds of train passengers, especially those from Kolar and surrounding areas employed in Bangalore, faced inconvenience as the Marikuppam- Bangalore(Swarna) passenger train was stopped before the K R Puram station to facilitate passage of a goods train heading towards Tumkur.

Irked passengers staged a dharna on the tracks for a few minutes before the railway officials pacified them to get into the train. The train which left Marikuppam at 6.20 am was supposed to reach Bangalore City railway station by 9.15 am. However, due to the delay, it reached the City station at 10.30 am.

Arrival of three other trains including Yeshwantpur-Hatia Express and  Udyan Express (Mumbai to Bangalore City) were delayed for the same reason.

For Uday Kumar, a painter with a private company in Nayandahalli along Mysore Road, Swarna Passenger is nothing but a lifeline. “I take this train every day from Marikuppam to the City and then board a bus to reach my workplace.

Every time the train is delayed, I reach office late and get an earful from my boss. On Tuesday, the train was stopped twice on the way, for over 20 minutes near KR Puram and 10 minutes near Whitefield.

Such delays have been a regular affair and repeated complaints to railway officials have not solved the problem. “Recently, we submitted a detailed complaint to Anil Kumar Agarwal, Divisional Railway Manager, South Western Railway (SWR), who promised to take steps to resolve the problem.” Dharanesh added.

When contacted, Suvankar Biswas, public relations officer, SWR, said the Swarna Passenger was stopped for 15 to 20 minutes due to some problem with passage of a goods train.