In an interesting case, Indian Railways delayed a train at Howrah station to help a groom and his relatives catch a connecting train to Guwahati for his wedding. The Eastern Railway shared a message from the groom, Chandu Wagh, expressing gratitude for the gesture. The Railway delayed the Sairaghat Express at Howrah for a few minutes, allowing the marriage party traveling on the Geetanjali Express to board their train to Guwahati.
The Eastern Railway also posted the groom’s SOS message on X, which read, “Need urgent help, we are a group of 35 people traveling via Gitanjali Express for my marriage, which is delayed by 3.5 hours. We need to catch Sairaghat Express at 4:00 pm, which seems difficult. Kindly help.” The groom had tagged Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and the Railway Ministry in his post.
@RailMinIndia @AshwiniVaishnaw @nerailwaygkp @EasternRailway Need urgent help, we are group of 35 people, travelling via Gitanjali express for my marriage which is delayed by 3.5 hrs, Need to catch Sarighat express at 4:00 pm which seems difficult. Kindly help. My no. 9029597736 pic.twitter.com/a3ULEXHJfs
— Chandu (@chanduwagh21) November 15, 2024
Later, the groom expressed his gratitude, saying, “I would like to express my deepest gratitude towards all the involved parties for making necessary arrangements so that I and my 35 relatives could catch the connecting train. Thank you so much.”
The Eastern Railway shared screenshots where the groom Chandu Wagh thanked them for their support. The Sairagat Express was delayed for a few minutes at Howrah station, allowing the ‘baratis’ to catch the train to Guwhati and reach the wedding on time.
IR arranged to detain Saraighat Express at Howrah for a few minutes so that a marriage party with Dulha coming by Geetanjali Express and going to Guwahati can catch the train, 12345 Up from HWH. The marriage party has expressed their thanks to Railways for this helping gesture. pic.twitter.com/eBgRzewQ21
— Eastern Railway (@EasternRailway) November 15, 2024
Despite the positive feedback, some social media users criticized the delay, questioning whether it was justified to hold up the train for one family. One user said, “You can’t run Gitanjali Exp in time? Now trying to take credit for it… wow. It’s a classic case of a shameless celebration of a failed system.” Others asked if it was fair or legal to delay a train for some passengers, while a few praised the Railways for their “wonderful passenger-friendly service.”