3 min readChandigarhUpdated: Mar 11, 2026 05:27 PM IST
Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari on Wednesday accused the Ministry of Railways of dodging the core issue of track instability on the critical Chandigarh–Delhi corridor, describing the Government’s detailed written reply in the Lok Sabha as evasive and insufficient.
In unstarred question No. 3091, tabled for answer on March 11, Tewari had specifically asked whether the Government was aware of excessive bouncing, swaying, and instability on the Chandigarh–Delhi route, particularly affecting premium trains such as the Delhi–Kalka Shatabdi Express. He also sought details of complaints received in the past one year, any technical inspections or safety audits conducted, and the corrective measures being taken.
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw clubbed all five parts of the question and gave a 12-page generic reply asserting that “safety of train operation is accorded top priority” and that the Chandigarh–Delhi route “is also inspected and maintained in accordance with the prescribed provisions and is safe for running of trains at permitted speed”. The reply listed routine inspection mechanisms (daily patrolling, TRC, and OMS runs), ongoing modernisation measures (90 ultimate tensile strength rails, pre-stressed concrete sleepers, mechanised maintenance, flash-butt welding, etc) and highlighted national-level improvements such as a 90 per cent reduction in consequential accidents since 2014-15 and progress on the indigenously developed Kavach anti-collision system.
However, the minister’s answer contained no reference to specific complaints received about the Chandigarh–Delhi section, no mention of targeted technical inspection or audit findings for the problematic stretches (particularly between Kurukshetra and Panipat), and no details of action taken on passenger feedback regarding excessive swaying and bouncing in Shatabdi and Vande Bharat trains even at normal speeds.
‘Shatabdi and Vande Bharat sway excessively and bounce’
Reacting sharply to the reply, Tewari said, “I had asked a question in the Lok Sabha about the unstable condition of the track on both the up and down lines between Chandigarh and Delhi. I had flagged this problem earlier also—that passenger trains, especially the Shatabdi and Vande Bharat, sway excessively and bounce on certain stretches of the track between Kurukshetra and Panipat even at normal speed, and vice versa.
“It is unfortunate that the railway minister chose to give a twelve-page reply that is long on verbiage and short on facts and completely dissimulates rather than addressing the core issue of track safety. I would once again like to urge the railway minister to get the entire Chandigarh–Delhi–Chandigarh track audited or reaudited from a safety point of view to ensure that no untoward incident takes place,” he said.
The Chandigarh–Delhi section is one of the busiest rail corridors in northern India, carrying high-speed premium services. Tewari’s repeated highlighting of the issue and demand for a specific safety audit have now put the spotlight on whether routine national-level maintenance claims are sufficient to address localised track geometry problems experienced by passengers on this route.
