Title - Duronto delay

Durgapur : The Calcutta-bound Duronto Express from Delhi was held up for over three hours at Ranigunj station today after hitting a cow, sparking protests by passengers who complained that the air-conditioners stopped working for half an hour in the sweltering heat.The cow-catcher of the engine got twisted after the 12.15pm accident 300 metres from the station.“The train was brought to Ranigunj station at 2.42pm after temporary repairs. It left for Sealdah at 3.28pm after the engine was replaced,” a railway official said.The passengers said the lights and ACs were switched off for about half an hour. “We were sweating inside the train. The windows could not be opened because the train is air-conditioned. The heat was unbearable,” a passenger said. The maximum temperature was 40 degrees Celsius.The train made an unscheduled halt at 3.44pm at Durgapur, where the passengers were given mineral water bottles and food packets for free. “We made the arrangements because of the delay,” said Biswanath Murmu, a spokesperson for Eastern Railway, Asansol division. The Calcutta-bound Jammu Tawi Express got held up for two-and-a-half hours at Nimcha halt, about 5km from Ranigunj, because of the Duronto snag.