New Delhi:
Northern Railways has cancelled several trains in Punjab in view of the widespread violence in the state in the wake of the killing of a Dera leader in Vienna.
Many trains have been left stranded since morning after the violence in several parts of the state.
The cancelled trains include EMUs mostly connecting Jalandhar city to other parts of the state, a Northern Railway spokesperson said.
The violence also saw complete disruption of rail traffic on the busy Jalandhar-Amritsar track as protesters squatted on the tracks.
The spokesperson said the blockade had a cascading effect with several long distance trains stranded at various stations.
At Amritsar station, he said, trains like Paschim Express, Amritsar-Dadar Express and Pathankot-Delhi Express have been held up since morning. Similarly, the Himsagar and Sonepur-Jammu Tawi expresses were held up at Phagwara while Delhi-Jammu Special was held up at Jalandhar Cant.
The rail blockade by protestors also saw Amritsar-Katihar Express being held up at Goraya and Himgiri Express at Ludhiana, he said.
At Bari Bhrahmna station, the Kathgodam-Jammu Tawi Express has also been held up, he added.
The Northern Railway official said the canceled local trains from Jalandhar city include 5 JH Hoshiarpur-Jalandhar city EMU and 2 JRJ Jalandhar-Jaijon Doaba EMU.
Meanwhile, Railways have also opened helpline numbers for the benefit of passengers and their relatives in stations like Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Pathankot, Ferozpur and in Jammu Tawi.