Jamshedpur: In response to increasing commuters’ protests regarding chronic train delays within the Chakradharpur railway division, railway officials have announced a significant improvement in operations over the last fortnight.Senior divisional commercial manager (DCM) Aditya Choudhary said, “Punctuality rates, which previously slumped to 35%, now range between 65% and 75%. Trains previously delayed by up to 120 minutes now face 15 to 20 minutes’ delay.”“Officers are monitoring each train to prevent bottlenecks and ensure smooth movement across the network,” Choudhary said at Tatanagar on Monday.Dismissing the allegations that Chakradharpur division railway prioritise goods trains over passenger trains, the senior railway official said, “A total of 47 passenger trains operate through the section compared with 35 freight trains. Once the dedicated freight corridor gets operational, freight traffic will shift to other tracks; as a result, passenger trains will run up to 130 km/hour on the main lines.”The spokesperson said that the divisional railway has launched multiple projects to address the issue of late running of the passenger trains. “Work on the third line between Tatanagar-Adityapur is underway, while the fourth line between Asanboni and Bagbera is under progress.”“A third line between Sini-Chaibasa and Gamaharia-Chandil stations shall be laid to ease the traffic pressure on the triangle section. The zonal railway has finalised plans for the fifth and sixth lines between Sini-Rajkharsawan to provide alternative routes for the trains coming from Jharsuguda and Chandil,” he said.
