Rains hit rail services in Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana

CHANDIGARH - Rail services in Punjab, Haryana and the joint capital Chandigarh were hit and many arterial roads waterlogged as moderate to heavy rainfall lashed most parts of the region Tuesday.

Not a single train had managed to reach Chandigarh after 7 a.m.

“The New Delhi-Chandigarh Shatabdi, which was scheduled to reach 11 a.m., got stuck at Shahabad town in Haryana. Railway workers are clearing the track. It is expected to reach Chandigarh by 6 p.m.,” Y.P. Singh, divisional regional manager, Northern Railways, told IANS here.

Heavy rains at Haryana’s Ambala city delayed many trains. Some of them were cancelled at the Ambala railway station - one of the busiest in the region.

“It has been raining heavily in Ambala since yesterday (Monday). The railway station is situated at such a place that rain water from both sides of the city enters it. There was one-and-a-half to two feet water in most railway tracks,” Singh said.

“Railway signals were not visible either at various places. So, we cancelled four trains and diverted the routes of many others. Various trains have got delayed and nearly 25 trains have been affected,” he added.

The weather office said rains would continue for the next two to three days in the region.

Ambala city has received the region’s maximum rainfall of nearly 400 mm.

“The rains started Monday night and continued without a break. We are expecting more rains. It will further bring down the mercury in the region,” a senior meteorological department official said here.

He added: “Chandigarh yesterday (Monday) recorded a maximum temperature of 29.4 degrees Celsius that was around six notches below the normal. Similarly, most parts of Punjab and Haryana also saw a dip in the mercury by three to four degrees.”

According to Met officials, monsoon arrived in this part of northern India Monday (July 5); in 2009, it hit the region on June 30.

Chandigarh received 86.8 mm rainfall till 8.30 a.m. Tuesday. In Punjab, Patiala city saw 90.5 mm rainfall.

Various parts of Chandigarh and Punjab faced the problem of waterlogging, leading to traffic jams and reducing movement to a snail’s pace.

There was a flood-like situation on the highway connecting Ambala and Delhi, causing traffic jams.