Title - Duronto's name changed with two new halts

FEROZEPUR: Duronto Express, the dream train running between Amritsar and Chandigarh is going to get a new name "Superfast Intercity Express" from September 11 and will also get two new halts in Ludhiana and Jalandhar.While disclosing this, the railway officials informed that the train number 12241 and 12242, Duronto Express would be called by a new name from September 11. Not only change of name, the new train would have new halts at Ludhiana and Jalandhar as well. From September 11, the train will start from Amritsar at 5.20 am and would arrive at Jalandhar at 6.12, Ludhiana at 7.15 and reach Chandigarh at 9.45 am.Likewise, during return journey, the train will start from Chandigarh at 6.30 pm and would arrive at Amritsar at 11.15 pm. The train, on its back journey would reach Ludhiana at 9.05 pm and at Jalandhar at 9.57 pm.Notably, Amritsar-Chandigarh Duronto Express, which was launched amid much fanfare on August 24 last year, was losing steam as the train was having no stoppage at Jalandhar and Ludhiana.Due to declining number of passengers, the railway was suffering a loss to run Duronto Express daily. People, particularly traders and working community have been demanding permanent stoppages at Jalandhar, Beas and LudhianaPeople have appreciated the move of the railways to convert Duronto Express, running between Amritsar-Chandigarh, into a superfast express with two new halts.

They felt that these halts would bring in more passengers helping it come out of loss mode. While welcoming the decision of the railways to give the train new stoppage at Jalandhar, Sanjiv Bhardwaj, a businessman from Jalandhar said, if the decision was taken early, it could have been good for the railways. Pardeep Kochar, another resident said, the train would prove beneficial to people of the town who travel to the state capital to visit the secretariat, Punjab and Haryana high court, and headquarters of various state government departments.