RailEnquiry

It's "advantage Chandigarh" as the recently-appointed Union minister of railways, Pawan Kumar Bansal, has promised a new Shatabdi Express from City Beautiful to New Delhi. The project, when it materializes, would meet a long-pending demand of Chandigarh residents who have been seeking another train to the national capital due to the rush and heavy booking in the present Shatabdis.Bansal, who is the local MP, recently also announced measures to improve the condition of Chandigarh railway station. He emphasized on the need to construct additional parking space and work on beautification of the place. On Saturday, which marked his second visit to the railway station after his appointment as the railway minister, Bansal promised the city what had been ignored by the previous ministers.Talking to TOI, Bansal said, "We are definitely going to run a new Shatabdi Express from Chandigarh to New Delhi in the coming months as this has been a long-pending demand of the residents of Chandigarh. But vital details like timings of the new train and how the project will materialize, are yet to be worked out."The minister added: "One Shatabdi Express already runs during the morning hours. Therefore, the timing of the new train will be very crucial. The aim will be to facilitate the most number of passengers and keep a reasonable gap between the two trains. We will soon work on gathering public opinion over the matter."There is only one morning Shatabdi from Chandigarh to New Delhi, which leaves the city at 6.50am and reaches the national capital at 9.50am.