Railways announces new schedule for the Sealdah-Puri Special train

Kolkata: Rail Bachao Sangram Committee (RBSC) is all set to march against the central government's privatisation policies on Friday.

Under the banner of Anti Railways Privatisation Movement Forum consisting of All India Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA), SC and ST organization, OBC organization and Eastern Railway Men's Union (ERMU) a demonstration will be held at Sealdah station premises on October 9, 2020. Railway Employee Unions will assemble near Sealdah DMR building at 1. 30 pm and then march around the station presmises. The protestors will raise slogans against Indian Railway Board's decision to put a freeze on the creation of new posts.

"We have formed the RBSC (consisting of members of Railway Employee Unions). The committee will take future course of action to protest against Indian Railways' decision of allowing private passenger train operators to run 151 trains on 109 routes," said Tanmay Roy, division secretary of All India Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA).

While Indian Railways have set a timeline for trains run with the help of the private sector, the first set of private trains will arrive in 2023. It will have 12 trains. However, all 151 trains will be introduced by 2027. Meanwhile, Eastern Railway has revised the timings of 02201/02202 Sealdah-Puri-Sealdah Special (Bi-weekly) with effect from October 5, 2020. The 02201 Sealdah- Puri Special leaving Sealdah at 8 pm on every Monday and Friday will arrive Bhubaneswar at 2.55 am on Tuesday and Saturday respectively. The train will halt there for 5 minutes. 02202 Puri- Sealdah Special leaving Puri at 7.20 pm on every Tuesday and Saturday will arrive Bhubaneswar at 8.25 pm on the same days and halt there for 5 minutes. All the other stoppages and timings of the special train will remain same.

South Eastern Railway has also decided to increase the frequency of 02810/02809 Howrah-Mumbai CSMT Special and 02834/02833 Howrah-Ahmedabad Special trains from existing tri-weekly to daily. 02810/02809 Howrah-Mumbai CSMT-Howrah Special will run daily with effect from October 6, 2020 from Howrah and with effect from October 8, 2020 from Mumbai as per the existing timings from both ends.

Similarly, 02834/02833 Howrah- Ahmedabad - Howrah Special will run daily with effect from October 7, 2020 from Howrah and with effect from October 10, 2020 from Ahmedabad as per the existing timings from both ends.