As Shramik Special trains ‘stray’, Railways notifies ‘route rationalisation’ to explain diversions

With diversion of Shramik Special trains to navigate network congestion blowing up into a controversy, even as delayed running of these trains and shortage of food and water on board continue to plague the Railways, the national transporter has officially notified the alternative or diverted paths and called it route “rationalisation”.

The diversions have been done so that trains are not held up at one place for hours without water and food, a senior Railways official told The Indian Express.

A train, this officer emphasised to reject the criticism, “never gets lost”.According to Railways officials, there are multiple ways for a train to reach a destination from a “source” – or originating – station, and a “rationalised route” is one that may not be the usual route during normal times. But since the new route is notified, and is scheduled within the system, it cannot be technically called a diversion, an official explained.

Officials said this helps better planning of meals and watering of trains en route, and also cuts down the element of surprise for railway divisions on the way.

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Shramik Special trains bound for Bihar and further on were earlier delayed by an average 24 hours, which officials said have come down to under five hours in the last couple of days. “No diversions now. All trains originating during the last three days are running on their pre-scheduled rationalised routes,” a ministry spokesperson said.

Officials said Manikpur Junction of North Central Railway, which normally falls on route of most of these trains from western India to destinations in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, was a major source of congestion until a couple of days ago, as trains from Central Railway and Western Railway converged there. While normally it took a rain around 90 minutes or so to cross this section, trains were taking up to four hours or so to do so due to congestion. But the “rationalised route plan” has assigned other routes through Northern Railway, West-Central Railway and North Western Railway to decongest Manikpur, and other such crossings, and given destination stations a breather, they maintained.