Commuters stranded as Ludhiana rail delays hit 11 hours. | Ludhiana News

Ludhiana: Thousands of railway passengers across Punjab are facing an endurance test as a wave of cancellations and massive delays continues to paralyze the region’s rail network. Despite brief intervals of sunshine and improving visibility, the Northern Railway schedule remains in tatters, with some premier services running nearly half a day behind schedule.The Amritsar Garib Rath Express led the list of disruptions on Sunday, trailing a staggering 11 hours behind its arrival time, while the Amritsar Clone Special left passengers stranded for over nine hours. High-priority services were not spared; the Hazur Sahib Nanded Superfast Express was delayed by three hours, while the Amritsar Intercity and the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express also reported significant setbacks.In addition to the creeping delays, a total suspension of key regional links has left daily commuters without options. For several consecutive days, services including the Sirsa Ludhiana Passenger, Delhi Sarai Rohilla Duronto Express, and the Jalandhar City Intercity Express have remained cancelled. The persistent lack of service for these routes has caused mounting frustration among those who depend on the rail for their daily livelihoods.Commuters have begun to question the necessity of the continued cancellations, noting that atmospheric conditions have started to stabilize. Regular travellers point out that while heavy fog was a valid concern earlier in the month, the recent appearance of sunlight and clearer skies should have prompted a partial restoration of the local timetable.“I regularly depend on the Jalandhar City Intercity Express, but it has not been running for days now,” said Pritpal, a local resident. “The weather has already improved at intervals and is expected to get better. Still, many trains remain cancelled altogether, which is not justified. I request the railway authorities to resume these services immediately.”Railway authorities have yet to provide a definitive timeline for the resumption of the suspended routes, which currently include the Amritsar Hisar Express, Jammu Mail, and the MCTM Udhampur Superfast Express. As passengers continue to wait for hours on freezing platforms, the hope remains that the easing winter will finally bring a return to a reliable schedule.