Over 3,000 trains cancelled in 2019 for maintenance work: RTI reply

New Delhi: Over 3,000 trains were cancelled last year due to maintenance works on the Indian Railways network, the highest since 2014, the national transporter said in response to an RTI query.

"This indicates that the railways has undertaken large-scale repair and development projects which when completed will make the network more modern and safe," a railway official said. In 2014, 101 trains were cancelled due to maintenance work, the number increased to 829 in 2017 and 2,867 in 2018. In 2019, 3,146 trains were cancelled because of maintenance work, the railways stated in its reply. The RTI was filed by Madhya Pradesh-based Chandra Shekhar Gaur.

Between January 1 and September 30 last year, 2,251 trains were cancelled and from October 1 to December 31 last year, 895 trains were cancelled due to maintenance works, as per the reply. In 2019, the railways completed seven of the 58 super-critical projects underway on congested routes. One of these projects was finished in 2018, officials said. The remaining 50 will be completed by March 2022, they said. "The ongoing large-scale works on the railway network has resulted in cancellations and delay of trains. But these are essential works which had been pending for a long time.