A new Delhi-Faridabad MEMU train service began operations on Tuesday, giving rail passengers a daily daytime connection between the two cities, although the service reached Faridabad nearly one hour and 45 minutes late on its first day.
The 12-coach train operates as services 64038 and 64037 under instructions issued by the Railway Board. The Delhi-bound service left Faridabad station at 2 pm on Tuesday after the inaugural run reached the city at about 1:30 pm, against its scheduled arrival time of 11:45 am.
According to the timetable cited by railway authorities, train 64038 will leave Delhi Junction at 10:30 am. It will stop at Sadar Bazar, New Delhi, Shivaji Bridge, Tilak Bridge, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Okhla and Tughlakabad before reaching Faridabad at 11:45 am.
The return service, train 64037, will depart from Faridabad at 2 pm for Delhi. The service is scheduled to operate daily, providing a midday option for passengers travelling between Faridabad and the capital.
D S Bhandari, superintendent of Faridabad station, said announcements about the new service were being made continuously at the station so that more passengers could be informed. The train is being operated from platform 1A at Faridabad station.
The new service is focused on the daytime gap in rail connectivity between the two urban centres. Its listed stops connect Faridabad with several major stations and interchange points in Delhi, including Hazrat Nizamuddin and New Delhi. Railway officials have not indicated in the supplied information whether the first-day delay will affect the regular timetable or how punctuality will be monitored.
For passengers, the immediate change is the addition of a scheduled morning departure from Delhi and an afternoon return from Faridabad. Railway announcements at the station will continue to publicise the service, according to the station superintendent.
