The railway budget has brought cheers to Hoshiarpur residents. A direct train would run between the town and New Delhi, albeit only once a week. Union railway minister Pawan Bansal has announced a weekly Express train, honouring the requests from local MP Santosh Chowdhary and Rajya Sabha member
Ambika Soni.
Chowdhary welcomed the 'historic announcement' and said that her long-cherished demand had been fulfilled. "It may be a weekly train but we have made a beginning. I'll keep trying for a regular train," she told HT from Delhi.
"Since I got elected as an MP, I have been pursuing two major demands of my constituency, a direct train to Delhi and a package for the Kandi area. In the previous railway budgets, I succeeded in getting a rail link to Amritsar and feasibility survey between Hoshiarpur and Tanda. The latter project could not be implemented due to financial reasons and the planning commision could not sanction it. I am happy that the train has been started," said Chowdhary.
Congress MLA Sunder Sham Arora, who had also met Bansal in this regard,also welcomed the train and thanked Ambika Soni for her support.
BJP Rajya Sabha member Avinash Rai Khanna also welcomed the announcement and demanded a rail link between Jaijon and Amritsar and between Hoshiarpur to Pathankot.