Chandigarh Shatabdi, other trains to hit a snag | Chandigarh News

3 min readChandigarhMay 30, 2026 06:07 PM IST

Passengers travelling between Chandigarh and New Delhi on the Shatabdi corridor are set to face major disruption as Northern Railway has undertaken signalling and loop line expansion work at Shahabad Markanda and Mohri stations. The give work will cause a six-day traffic and power block on the Delhi-Ambala section.

The disruption, scheduled between May 30 and June 6, will particularly impact the Chandigarh-New Delhi Shatabdi Express (12045/12046) — one of the region’s busiest premium trains. This is used extensively by office-goers, business travellers and tourists commuting between Chandigarh, Ambala and Delhi.

Railway authorities have cancelled the Chandigarh-New Delhi and the New Delhi-Chandigarh Shatabdi services on June 6 owing to the non-interlocking commissioning work.

Apart from the outright cancellation on June 6, the Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi (12006) will also face operational delays during the block period. It shares the same corridor and is heavily used by Chandigarh passengers from Ambala and Chandigarh.

The Railway communication said the train will be regulated by around 45 minutes in the Ambala division from May 31 to June 5.

Officials said the disruption stems from the infrastructure augmentation work involving the extension of loop lines and the commissioning of a new Electronic Interlocking (EI) system at Shahabad Markanda and Mohri stations on the Delhi-Ambala route. The corridor is among Northern Railway’s busiest stretches serving a mix of premium passenger trains, freight traffic and Vande Bharat services.

Even the Vande Bharat train will be affected. The Ajmer-Chandigarh Vande Bharat has been completely suspended for June 6.

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The Anandpur Sahib-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express (22448) has also been rescheduled by nearly 135 minutes on June 6.

The impact is expected to ripple across the Chandigarh rail network as multiple premium trains running through Ambala and Chandigarh are being diverted, delayed or cancelled. Among the other affected trains are the Chandigarh-Bandra Terminus Superfast Express, Chandigarh-Madgaon Express and Chandigarh-Prayagraj Sangam Express.

The railway authorities have also imposed speed restrictions of 20 kmph in newly inserted point zones near the work site.

The communication issued by the Northern Railway has directed all divisions to ensure “wide publicity” of cancellations, diversions and rescheduling through station announcements, enquiry offices and the media.

Hina Rohtaki is a Special Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in Chandigarh. She is one of the most prominent journalists covering the Chandigarh Administration, civic issues, and the unique political status of the Union Territory.

Professional Background
Experience: She has been in the field for over a decade and is known for her investigative reporting on administrative waste and urban governance.

Awards: She is a recipient of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award, which was presented to her by the President of India in January 2020. She was also awarded the Jethmalani prize (The Will of Steel Awards) in 2025 in the Empowerment category for a series of articles that highlighted the struggles of Covid widows.

Core Beat: Her primary focus is the Chandigarh administrative structure, the Union Territory’s financial management, and urban development projects.

Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent work highlights a focus on government accountability, administrative expenditures, and civic trends:

1. Investigative & Financial Reporting
“Fuelling power: Senior UT IAS officers guzzled petrol worth Rs 30 lakh in 2 yrs” (Dec 14, 2025): An investigative report detailing the high fuel bills of top bureaucrats, including the Finance Secretary and Chief Secretary’s staff.

“Admn spends Rs 1.5 crore on dismantling road railings and fixing again after increasing height” (Dec 8, 2025): Highlighting administrative waste on “non-viable” solutions for pedestrian control.

“Chandigarh’s finances under ministry’s watch now” (Nov 27, 2025): Reporting on the new requirement for MHA approval for all new projects in the UT.

2. Governance & Constitutional Status
“What will it mean for Chandigarh if it is brought under Article 240?” (Nov 24, 2025): An “Explained” piece on the potential constitutional shift that would grant the President more power over the UT’s governance.

“MP Manish Tewari moves Bill seeking directly elected Mayor with 5-year tenure” (Dec 6, 2025): Covering the legislative push to reform Chandigarh’s municipal leadership structure.

“No proposal to increase Mayor’s term in Chandigarh by 5 years: Centre” (Dec 10, 2025): Reporting on the Union government’s response to demands for a longer mayoral term.

3. Urban Infrastructure & Environment
“Chandigarh admn cuts power to India’s tallest air purifier, asks firm to dismantle it” (Nov 17, 2025): A critical report on the failure of a high-cost environmental project deemed “of no use” by experts.

“UT rethinks 24/7 water supply project as costs soar” (Nov 26, 2025): Detailing the financial challenges and delays in modernizing the city’s water network.

“Centre ‘obfuscating, covering up’ MC’s shifting deadlines for clearing Dadu Majra dump” (Dec 12, 2025): Reporting on the ongoing controversy surrounding the city’s major waste dump.

4. Lifestyle & Local Trends
“Chandigarh turns into a Thar city as women fuel the surge” (Dec 2, 2025): A feature on a unique automotive trend in the city, with a record 600 registrations by women drivers this year.

“After fivefold spike in 2023, EV sales struggle to pick pace in Chandigarh” (Dec 2, 2025): Analyzing the slowdown in electric vehicle adoption despite previous surges.

Signature Beat
Hina is known for her meticulous tracking of RTI (Right to Information) data to expose administrative inefficiency. Her “Ground Zero” reporting on the Dadu Majra garbage dump and her scrutiny of the Chandigarh Smart City projects have made her a key figure in the city’s civil society discourse.

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