Title - City linked to Hazoor Sahib, residents happy

Chandigarh:
After a decade, Chandigarh has found a place among the prominent cities in the country to have a direct rail connectivity link with places of tourist and religious interest. The maiden journey of Nangal Dam-Hazoor Sahib-Nanded Super Fast Express that links Chandigarh to Hazoor Sahib was welcomed by former Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal today.The city has already got rail connectivity with Uttarakhand, Himachal Pardesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Goa. Besides this, rail connectivity with Jammu, Indore, Patna and Bangalore and another train from Chandigarh to Amritsar will also be soon on the track as it was approved in the railway Budget.Bansal said that another train which was being mooted by the Railway Ministry is from Ganganagar to Rishikesh is plying from Chandigarh to Haridwar. He stated that communication was going on with the Union Railway Minister to start all the approved trains for the city by the end of this year but it would depend on the availability of coaches and engines. Mohali residents rejoiced when the Hazoor Sahib Superfast Express touched at the local railway station in Phase 11 this evening. Over 2,500 persons gathered at the station to welcome the train, which reached here exactly at 6.30 pm here amidst loud religious slogans. The residents were seen greeting each other while the passengers in the train were offered packed ‘langar’ and ‘prasad’. The Anandpur Sahib constituency’s Member of Parliament Ravneet Bittu also came in the train. “The train is a very big gift to the people of the area”, said the localites.

The Hazoor Saheb Nanded Express weekly train via Chandigarh (number 22458) commenced from Nangal Dam at 4.20 pm and halted at Chandigarh at 7:08 pm and will reach Nanded at 11:45 pm the next day. The train will ply on every Friday from Nagal Dam and its return journey will be on every Saturday from Nanded. In the return journey, the train (number 22457) will start at 11 am from Nanded and halt at Chandigarh at 6 am next day and reach Nagal Dam at 8:25 pm. The city is connected with Uttrakhand, Jammu, Madhya Pardesh, Himachal Pardesh, Punjab, Karnataka and Goa. Municipal Corporation Mayor Subhash Chawla and other councillors of the Congress failed to reach the railway station to welcome of the train due to traffic jam in the city after heavy showers.