Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has raised serious concerns over the deteriorating performance of the Chandil-Tatanagar railway stretch, describing the situation as increasingly untenable for passengers.
Highlighting persistent delays over the past two years, he called on Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to intervene and address the imbalance between passenger and freight operations.
In a statement shared on social media, Soren said, "The condition of the Chandil-Tata rail section has now become unacceptable. For the past 2 years, passenger trains have been running hours late consistently, while freight trains continue to move uninterrupted on the same track."
He stressed that the issue extends beyond operational inefficiencies, raising broader concerns about priorities within the railway system.
According to the Chief Minister, the ongoing delays are affecting a wide cross-section of commuters, including workers, students and professionals who rely heavily on the route for daily travel.
Questioning the apparent preference for freight movement, he remarked, "This is not just an operational issue, but a question of setting priorities. Does the railway consider the time of Jharkhand's people to be as valuable as freight transport is for the country's economy?"
Soren urged the Centre to fast-track pending railway infrastructure works in the region and ensure that passenger services receive due importance. He emphasised that immediate corrective steps are necessary to restore reliability and commuter confidence.
The issue has also been echoed by the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which alleged that passengers have endured prolonged hardship on the route.
The party noted that travel durations have nearly doubled in some cases, with journeys that once took a few hours now stretching significantly longer.
The concerns raised by the Jharkhand government stem from deep-rooted structural constraints in the Chakradharpur division, one of the most congested rail sections on the Howrah-Mumbai corridor.
Regular express and MEMU services face harsher conditions, frequently running several hours late due to lower operational priority. In extreme cases, delays stretch up to 8-10 hours, disrupting daily life for commuters and long-distance travellers alike.
The absence of the long-proposed East-West Dedicated Freight Corridor has further compounded the crisis.