Title - Train arrives on time, surprises passengers

LUDHIANA: Passengers waiting for Indore-Jammu Tawi Superfast Malwa Express (12919) at the city railway station were pleasantly surprised on Tuesday when, perhaps for the first time in a few years, the train reached on time, breaking its notorious record of running late every day.

Daily, it reaches here two to three hours late.

Malwa express is a daily train that passes through about 40 railway stations, including Indore, Jhansi, Gwalior, Agra, Panipat, Saharanpur, Mathura, New Delhi, Ambala Cantt, Khanna, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Jammu Tawi.

It's official time to reach the city railway station is 10.30am, but it comes around 12.30pm or 1pm.

Its punctuality on Tuesday caught some of the passengers unawares.

"I was about to miss the train because every day it comes very late and gives me enough time to catch it. If I were late even by five minutes, I would have missed it,'' said Karan Malhotra, a student and resident of Haibowal.

A homemaker and resident of Harnam Nagar, Gomti Puri, said, "It is amazing that it is running on time, otherwise the long wait is very annoying. The authorities should ensure that all trains are punctual.'' Even the railway officers cannot recall when the train had arrived in time. "The train coming from Indore is late most of the time because it covers many stations, while on its return journey it is on time. It is the only train that reaches late,'' said Vijay Bhatia, deputy station superintendent (commercial) of Ludhiana railway station.