Khanyan: Commuters stage stir, demand more train services

KOLKATA: A rail blockade took place at Khanyan Station in Hooghly, which lies on the Howrah-Burdwan main line on Monday.

Unhappy with delay in train timings and harassment caused due to it,

the commuters demanded Eastern Railway to increase the number of trains running in the line.

The protest started at 7:30 am after a train got delayed. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) were deployed to regulate the situation.

"We requested the protesters and told them the reason for delay. There is ongoing railway work happening in the line. It will help increase mobility and speed in the coming days," the Eastern Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Eklabya Chakraborty said.

According to

Eastern Railway officials, protests had taken place in at least five railway stations during the morning hours.

At Khanyan, it took place till 10:30 am. A news publication reported that some of the protesters had

started pelting stones aiming at the compartments after a few commuters of the train refused to step out.

The railway had cancelled a couple of trains due to construction work of a new third line between Saktigarh and Rasulpur.

Many trains have been cancelled from September 3 to September 13 for pre-interlocking and from September 14 to 16 for the non-interlocking work.