CHANDIGARH, Dec. 17 — The Centre has approved a halt for the Ferozepur–Delhi Vande Bharat Express at Barnala railway station, ending weeks of political pressure and a long-standing demand from residents of the Malwa region.
Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu confirmed the decision on Wednesday, saying multiple elected representatives from Punjab had raised the issue with the Railways Ministry.
“The demand for a halt at Barnala had been pending for some time,” Bittu said. “Meet Hayer, MP Rajinder Gupta and former MLA Kewal Singh Dhillon had all approached us regarding this.”
The approval comes more than a month after Sangrur AAP MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer announced plans to stage a protest at Barnala station if the train did not stop there by Dec. 1.
Bittu said the halt would benefit passengers beyond Barnala district.
“This stop will cater not only to Barnala but also to commuters from Malerkotla, Sangrur and Mansa,” he said. “Party colleagues had urged me to take up this issue for Punjab’s commuters.”
Meet Hayer welcomed the decision, saying Barnala’s location made it a logical stop.
“I raised the matter three times in Parliament,” Hayer said. “Barnala lies at the centre of Malwa and shares boundaries with five districts, which leads to high passenger footfall.”
Currently, the Ferozepur–Delhi Vande Bharat Express halts at Faridkot, Bathinda, Dhuri, Patiala, Ambala Cantonment, Kurukshetra and Panipat.
