Train services disrupted at Kalunga Station due to public agitation demanding restoration of stoppages; several trains canceled or diverted.
Jamshedpur – 7 trains were canceled and 2 short-terminated due to public agitation and blockade at Kalunga railway station on Sunday.The agitators were demanding stoppage of several trains at Kalunga.
According to railway sources, train services of South Eastern Railway (SER) were partially affected on April 30 due to public agitation at Kalunga Station in the Rourkela-Jharsuguda section of Chakradharpur Division.
The protest, led by Kalunga Bikash Parishad (KBP) and Congress MLA Dr. CS Rajen Ekka, demanded the restoration of stoppages for certain trains.
Several trains were canceled, including the Rourkela-Bhubaneswar Intercity Express, Tatanagar-Ernakulam Express, Rourkela-Puri Intercity Express, and Tatanagar-Itwari Express, among others.
Some trains were short terminated, including the Howrah-Kantabanji Ispat Express and the Titlagarh-Howrah Ispat Express. Mail and express trains were diverted as well.
The agitation impacted the busy Howrah-Mumbai main line of SER on Sunday.
Local residents under the KBP banner and MLA Dr. Ekka blocked railway tracks, demanding stoppages for half a dozen super-fast, express, and passenger trains.
They claimed that these trains, including Samaleswari Express, Tapaswini Express, and South Bihar Express, had regular stoppages before the COVID-19 pandemic, but SER allegedly withdrew these stoppages after train services normalized.
Dr. Ekka described the demands as genuine and said the agitation was a result of the Ministry of Railways’ inaction.
Despite being assured that their demands would be considered two months ago, no progress has been made. The agitation will continue until their demands are met.
The protest sent Chakradharpur Division authorities into action, with officials rushing to the site to persuade protesters amid police deployment.
Railway officials stated that they were taking the demands positively and would allow stoppages after a commercial feasibility study.
Notably, train services on the route were previously disrupted on February 22 and 23 due to similar protests at Bamra station.
