In the midst of India's ongoing coal crisis, the Indian Railways has cancelled many trains. To ease the transit of coal rakes, at least 1,100 trains have been cancelled till May 24. Because of the current heatwave, there has been an increase in energy use, resulting in a coal scarcity at thermal power plants.
There have been around 500 express mail train journeys and 580 passenger train trips cancelled. The Railways announced the cancellation of 240 passenger trains on April 29 in order to allow for the movement of at least 400 rakes around the nation.
Because the central government expects electricity demand to surge this month, it wants to move as much coal as possible to power plants around the country.
Strikes by mine workers in various regions of the nation have exacerbated the situation.
Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh are among the states experiencing a power failure due to severe coal shortages in their power plants. Maharashtra, too, expects a surge in power demand in the near future.
According to recent sources, coal stocks at 108 of 173 thermal power plants have officially reached low levels, allowing them to meet the demand for only a few days.
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As of May 4, the railways had loaded an average of 28,470 wagons with coal per day to satisfy demand from power plants. A coal train might have up to 84 wagons in it. In Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh, the railways used a novel approach of deploying long-haul trains for the purpose, by running 3-5 trains together at 122 locations.
If you are planning to travel or have already booked tickets then check Indian Railway’s official website to confirm if your train has been canceled or not.
