The Vande Bharat project is turning out to be a great initiative started by the Modi Government as it has been witnessed that people foresee to travel through the train. For those who are unaware, the Vande Bharat Express is a medium-distance train service operated by Indian Railways. Similar to Shatabdi Express, these are day train services that connect Indian cities that are less than 10 hours apart. While many States have already got their Vande Bharat Express, the people of Punjab were eagerly waiting for it. Now, a proposal has been finalized to run Punjab's first Vande Bharat from Amritsar to New Delhi.
Amritsar-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express's proposal suggests five stoppages of the train namely- Amritsar, Ludhiana, Sahnewal, Ambala, and New Delhi. Interestingly, Jalandhar which is one of the major cities of Punjab has been snubbed or let's say ignored from the stoppage list. As a result, there is a demand to include Jalandhar in the stoppage list of upcoming Vande Bharat has been gaining momentum.
Notably, five Members of Parliament (MPs) are linked to the city, still, Jalandhar has not been included in the Amritsar-New Delhi Vande Bharat route. The 5 MPs are- Sushil Rinku, Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Mittal, Baba Seechewal, and last but not least Union Sports & Information-Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur.
For the unversed, Sushil Rinku is Jalandhar's lone MP of the Lok Sabha of the Aam Aadmi Party. Harbhajan Singh, former Team India cricketer, is a member of Rajya Sabha from AAP. Ashok Mittal is the chancellor of Lovely Professional University & member of the Rajya Sabha. Baba Seechewal aka Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal is Rajya Sabha MP from AAP and a noted environmentalist. Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur is an MP from the Hamirpur constituency, however, he is linked to Jalandhar. As per reports, Thakur did his bachelor's B.A. degree from Doaba College, Jalandhar, Punjab.
Notably, Jalandhar MP Sushil Rinku has been giving time-to-time updates on the construction of Adampur Sahib Jalandhar Airport. While Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann has assured that the Adampur Sahib Airport will soon be operational, it is worth mentioning the fact that Jalandhar was in dire need of air connectivity.
Keeping prominent people aside, Jalandhar is also a sports hub. It is Jalandhar where Team India's cricket bats and other sports accessories get manufactured. Therefore, the Railway Ministry snubbing Jalandhar from the list of stoppages of the Vande Bharat Express train from Amritsar to New Delhi is highly questionable.
Amritsar-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express
On the Amritsar route, the Vande Bharat train will only stop at Ludhiana and Ambala stations. There are no stoppages at major stations like Jalandhar City and Jalandhar Cantt. Earlier, the New Delhi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express train also did not have a stoppage at Jalandhar Cantt railway station, causing disappointment among the locals.
Talking about the finalized proposal, the Amritsar-New Delhi Vande Bharat train will start at 7:55 a.m. in the morning from the holy city and will reach the National Capital around 1:30 p.m. (IST).