The General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee, former Union Minister, and Member of Parliament from Sirsa, Kumari Selja, has written a letter to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighting the lack of passenger facilities and the need for the expansion of train services at Dabwali Model Railway Station in Sirsa district. She emphasizes that the expansion of passenger train services would benefit not only Haryana but also the bordering regions of Punjab and Rajasthan, particularly the traders.
In her letter, Kumari Selja points out that Mandi Dabwali is a significant subdivision of Punjab-Haryana-Rajasthan, and its railway station is a model railway station. Despite its significance and connectivity to distant parts of the country, Dabwali lacks sufficient passenger facilities. She requests the introduction of direct rail services from Dabwali to Ludhiana and Amritsar, suggesting the availability of a rail service from Bikaner to Ludhiana or Amritsar. Previously, a passenger train ran from Barmer to Kalka, which was later extended to Haridwar-Rishikesh, affecting the connectivity of Dabwali residents to Chandigarh and Kalka. She urges the resumption of this train service.
Additionally, she proposes extending train number 20483/20484, which runs between Jodhpur and Mumbai Bhagat Ki Kothi, to Ferozepur. This would save passengers approximately 300 kilometers of travel as it avoids the Delhi route, providing convenience to the public and benefiting the railways. This extension can be coordinated between the North Western Railway and Northern Railways Ferozepur Division.
Kumari Selja also requests the extension of trains number 13413/13414 and 13483/13484, which currently run between Bathinda and Ballor Bhat, to Hanumangarh, benefiting the general public. With the initiation of a washing line at Hanumangarh Railway Station, space is available for train halts. She further suggests extending train number 12555/12556 (Gorakhdham Express), running between Bathinda and Gorakhpur, to Hanumangarh, which would benefit the public and the railways.
She emphasized the need for direct train services from Mandi Dabwali to Ludhiana, Amritsar, Kalka, Chandigarh, and Delhi, and the extension of the aforementioned trains to Hanumangarh. Moreover, she calls for a new DMU train service between Bathinda and Hanumangarh.
Kumari Selja also mentioned the pending railway line project from Mandi Dabwali to Kalanwali, planned by the railway department in 2011-12. Despite completing the survey, no work has commenced yet. She urges the construction of a railway line from Mandi Dabwali to Narwana via Kalanwali-Rodi Sardulgarh-Ratia, benefiting the people of Sirsa Lok Sabha constituency. This connection would link the region to three railway lines: Bathinda-Hisar-Delhi and Bathinda to Delhi via Jakhal-Narwana-Jind, bringing significant advantages to the area and proving beneficial for the railways. She also advocates for the doubling of the Bathinda-Bikaner section.
Kumari Selja noted that Dabwali was an engine partnering station during the steam engine era on the Bathinda-Suratgarh line, with three underground tanks built by the railway, now unused and flooded during the rainy season. At the public’s request, one tank has been closed; she requests the closure of the remaining two. Furthermore, she suggests building community toilets for passengers in the railway circulating area of the Mandi Dabwali region and filling the unused railway tanks with soil.
