Chandigarh: Train rush swells, cab fares soar as farmers’ stir blocks routes

With road connectivity to Delhi remaining severed due to the ongoing farmers’ protest, travellers from the tricity have resorted to alternative modes of transport, resulting in a significant surge in rush at the Chandigarh railway station.

On Wednesday, station platforms witnessed massive crowd frenzy, with a flurry of passengers jostling to catch trains destined for Delhi and various cities in Haryana, highlighting the impact of the road closures.

Jagdish Kumar, a passenger, said, “I work in Chandigarh and need to travel to Kaithal, my hometown. With the roads blocked, catching a train is my only option. Despite attempting to book a ticket, I couldn’t find any available seats. Consequently, I had to opt for a general ticket and struggle for a train on the platform.”

Another distraught traveller at the platform, Shashi Devi, shared, “My family and I need to reach Delhi for my sister’s wedding. Despite much efforts, we couldn’t secure reservations, as all seats were already booked.”

Waiting lists grow longer

With the sudden rise in demand, waiting lists for trains are also growing.

For the Delhi-bound Jan Shatabdi (12058) departing at 7.43 am on February 15 and 16, the waiting list stands at 218 and 113, respectively. Similarly, the AADR Vandebharat (22448) that leaves at 3.32 pm has a waiting list of 50 for February 15 and 32 for February 16.

The waitlist for the 6.53 am Kalka Shatabdi Express (12006) on February 15 and 16 is 42 and 32, respectively. For the Kalka Shatabdi (12012) on the same dates, the waiting list is 40 and 54.

An official from Northern Railways stated, “We are observing a significant increase in train bookings and footfall over the past two days, primarily due to road blockages on Delhi routes.”

Longer routes leading to higher cab fares: Drivers

Amid the drop in road users, cab drivers have resorted to increasing fares to make up for the extra time and fuel taken to traverse through longer routes.

Rajat Sharma, a cab driver, who recently travelled to Delhi, shared, “I had to take the Saharanpur road, adding almost 200 km to the usual Delhi trip. As a result, the fare had to be increased.”

He further explained, “On regular days, cab fare for a one-way trip from Chandigarh to Delhi is around ₹3,500. However, due to the current situation, we are now charging around ₹7,000 rupees due to the longer journey.”

With no train tickets available, Ajay Dixit, a traveller from Chandigarh, had no option but to opt for a cab to reach Delhi to catch a flight to Qatar, while also leaving home 12 hours ahead of time not to miss the flight amid potential delays due to the farmers’ agitation.

15% jump in footfall at airport, another flight to Delhi added

Mohali The road closures have also translated into a 15% jump in footfall at Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport.

While the airport records a footfall of around 9,000 on regular days, on Wednesday, it catered to around 10,500 flyers.

To address the heavy rush, Alliance Air Airlines has added one more flight to Delhi till February 17.

On normal days, the said airline operates only one flight to Delhi that departs at 7:50 pm daily. The new flight will depart from Delhi’s IGI airport at 8.15 pm and reach here at 9.15 pm. On its return journey, it will leave at 9.45 pm.

While Rakesh Ranjan Sahay, chief executive officer at the airport, termed it an operational decision, an official from the airline said more people were opting for air travel due to the farmers’ protest.

Apart from the new flight, the airport offers seven daily flights to the national capital.

The last-minute air bookings due to disrupted road travel plans are also leading to higher air fares. Compared to the normal price of ₹4,000- ₹5,000 for the 1 hour and 15 minute flight to Delhi, a popular airline forced travellers to shell up to ₹18,000 for a ticket for Thursday bookings. The situation is likely to remain the same through the week.

Vaneet Sharma, director of Sheetal Travel, Chandigarh, said, “Not only are the air fares going through the roof, ranging between ₹13,000 and ₹18,000, there are no seats available even for Friday. This happens every time farmers block the inter-state borders.”

Meanwhile, traffic remained smooth on the Zirakpur-Dera Bassi road with few commuters turning up due to the anticipated road closures ahead.

ASI Jaspal Singh, in-charge, Traffic, Dera Bassi, said motorists were avoiding travel to Haryana or Delhi entirely, while heavy vehicles were taking diverted routes.