New Delhi: What is claimed as first time in the history of railway operations in India, a train changed its route without informing the passengers on Saturday.
A Shramik Special train, which started from Mumbai for Gorakhpur on May 21, reached Rourkela in Odisha without intimating the passengers about the change in the route. It came to the fore after the passengers shared their video on Twitter.
The Indian Railways had its own explanation. A senior official said, they had decided to run a few Shramik Special trains on diverted routes. Some trains were diverted for Bihar via Rourkela to clear congestion, he added.
The Western Railway issued a statement stating that Vasai Road-Gorakhpur Shramik Special train which departed on May 21 was to run on Kalyan-Jalgoan-Bhusaval-Khandwa-Itarsi-Jabalpur-Manikpur route but this train will go to Gorakhpur by diverted route via Bilaspur, Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Adra, Asansol (ER) due to heavy traffic congestion on existing routes.
But the passengers alleged that the Railways did not inform them about the change in the route and the duration of their travel.
A passenger in the Shramik Special took to Twitter and wrote, “We have boarded the Shramik Special train on May 21 to go back to Gorakhpur. However, despite 23 hours of journey we are still in Maharashtra. We don’t have anything to eat and there is no water in the train. And why the train is going towards Nagpur from Bhusawal.”
Another passenger said, “Now the train has stopped in Odisha and people are saying that the driver has lost his way.”
