Kanpur: Govind Nagar MLA Surendra Maithani on Tuesday met Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav in Delhi and demanded operation of a direct train from Kanpur to Dehradun via Farrukhabad, saying it would reduce travel time from 15 hours to 9 hours. Maithani reached Vaishnav’s office at the Lok Sabha complex in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum seeking direct rail service from Kanpur to Dehradun.The MLA told the railway minister that people travel from Kanpur to Dehradun and the religious city Haridwar for various rituals, including immersion of ashes. Many devotees undertake Char Dham pilgrimage from Dehradun and Haridwar. “Lakhs of people from Kanpur city and surrounding districts commute to these places frequently. But only one Link Express operate on the route via Aligarh and Moradabad, forcing passengers to travel for about 14 to 15 hours with no other alternative,” the MLA said. Maithani said the railway had laid a much shorter rail line via Farrukhabad, but it was not being utilised effectively.
