50 trains affected due to Bharat Bandh, all services restored now: Railways

New Delhi, Sep 27: Around 50 trains were affected by the Bharat Bandh called by farm unions on Monday to protest the Centre's three agri laws, officials said. The affected train services became normal in the afternoon after people moved off rail tracks following the end of the 10-hour bandh, they said.

The shutdown disrupted lives across parts of India, particularly in the north.

Protesters blocked highways and arterial roads, and squatted on tracks in several places from the morning as the shutdown called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions, got underway. The blockade was lifted at 4 pm.

''More than 20 locations in Delhi, Ambala, and Ferozepur divisions had been blocked. About 50 trains were affected due to this. All train movement is normal now since 4:30 pm," a spokesperson for the Northern Railway said.

Officials said the Delhi-Amritsar Shan-e-Punjab, New Delhi-Moga Express, Old Delhi-Pathankot Express, Vande Bharat Express from New Delhi to Katra, and Amritsar Shatabdi are some of the trains that have been affected. The bandh started at 6 am and continued till 4 pm.

In the North-Western Railway zone, rail traffic on the Rewari-Bhiwani, Bhiwani-Rohtak, Bhiwani-Hisar and Hanumangarh-Sadulpur-Sriganganagar-Fatuhi sections were affected due to the shutdown.

According to Lt. Shashi Kiran, Chief Public Relations Officer, North-Western Railway, the Bathinda-Lalgarh special train service as well as the Sriganganagar-Ambala special train service were cancelled due to the bandh.

Partially cancelled train services include the Jaipur-Daulatpur Chowk Special train service which left Jaipur on Monday but will operate only till Dhulkot. The Daulatpur Chowk-Jaipur Special will leave Ambala on Monday. It will run partially between Daulatpur Chowk-Ambala stations.

Other partially operated services included the Tilakbridge-Sri Ganganagar Special train service which will operate from Rewari in place of Tilak Bridge, the Rewari-Jodhpur Special train which operated from Sadulpur instead of Rewari and the Delhi Sarai Rohilla- Bikaner Special train service which left Delhi Sarai on Monday but will operate up to Sri Ganganagar.