New Delhi-Srinagar Vande Bharat Sleeper Train, Vande Bharat Sleeper Train Jalandhar Station Ignored, Jalandhar Station Skipped Vande Bharat Express: After the major success of high-speed Vande Bharat Trains, India's Railway Ministry will soon start to roll out the sleeper version of it. While Vande Bharat was first launched as a short to medium-range distance train with only chair options, its rising demand for long-distance stations has forced the Union Railway Ministry to start a sleeper version of it. By January 2025, multiple Vande Bharat Sleeper trains will start their functioning and one of them includes New Delhi-Srinagar Vande Bharat Train. As per reports, the proposed New Delhi to Srinagar Vande Bharat Sleeper Train is likely to halt in Punjab during its long journey. To be precise, the New Delhi to Srinagar Vande Bharat Sleeper train will cover over 800 km in less than 13 hours but it will halt at Ludhiana Railway Station in Punjab as per the proposal reported by India Today.
It means Jalandhar is yet again getting ignored in the Vande Bharat Train Route. With only a few months to go before the start of New Delhi-Srinagar Vande Bharat, demands to halt it at Jalandhar Railway Station are also rising. When Amritsar-New Delhi Vande Bharat was about to start, Jalandhar was not included in the proposal. However, after the rise in demands to include Jalandhar among the stoppage and effort from Sardar Iqbal Singh Lalpura & then Jalandhar MP Sushil Rinku, the station was added.
Minority Commission Chairman, Iqbal Singh Lalpura while talking to True Scoop assured that he will talk to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Iqbal Singh Lalpura said, "Jalandhar is one of the most important parts of Punjab. It is a hub of the sports industry. It is also a center of education. Many trains already stop in Ludhiana. Therefore, I will talk to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to add Jalandhar to its stoppage. Jalandhar is an industrial hub and last time as well we made an effort to add it in the stoppage of Vande Bharat."
Former Jalandhar MP & BJP leader Sushil Rinku also assured that he will raise the issue at the party level and make sure that Jalandhar will added to the stoppage of the New Delhi-Srinagar Vande Bharat Sleeper Train. While talking to True Scoop, Sushil Rinku said, "Last time when I was an MP, I tried my best at my level so that Jalandhar could be added to the stoppage list of Amritsar-Delhi Vande Bharat Train. The New Delhi-Srinagar Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains issue has just come and I will raise this issue with Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Also, I will raise at the party level to add Jalandhar as a stoppage in the upcoming Vande Bharat Sleeper Train."
Notably, there are currently 4 MPs in the parliament who are directly or indirectly linked to Jalandhar as well. It includes former Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi, former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, and LPU Chancellor Ashok Mittal. Notably, former Union Minister Anurag Thakur has also links in Jalandhar.
It is pertinent to mention here that Delhi-Amritsar Vande Bharat Train and Delhi to Katra Vande Bharat Train, both stop at Ludhiana Railway Station. Only Delhi-Amritsar has a stoppage at Jalandhar Cantt. Hence, skipping Jalandhar from the upcoming Vande Bharat Sleeper Train has started a demand to include it in the list of stoppages. Notably, Ravneet Bittu who is Minister of State for Railways and as the Minister of State for Food Processing Industries hails from Ludhiana.