The Firozpur railway division has cancelled 14 trains in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra Valley after the state government banned entry of all tourists to the state over the coronavirus pandemic, a railways spokesperson said.
However, the Ambala railway division is running its trains on Kalka-Shimla and Sirhind-Daulatpur Chowk routes on Friday as usual, Ambala senior DCM Hari Mohan said.
Shimla station superintendent Prince Sethi told PTI that the Ambala division is running its trains so that the tourists stuck in Himachal Pradesh may reach their respective destination and the state's residents of may reach their native places.
However, in order to aware the public, announcements regarding banning entry of tourists to Himachal Pradesh is being made at Kalka railway station on Kalka-Shimla section and all stations on Sirhind-Daulatpur Chowk section, he added.
The Firozpur division spokesperson said that all train services in Kangra valley (Pathankot-Jogindernagar) had been cancelled from midnight on Friday till further orders.
Earlier on Thursday evening, Kangra Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Prajapati said the movement of all the trains from Punjab to Kangra district would remain suspended after midnight to check spread of the deadly COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019).
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The movement of trains in Kangra district was banned as a precautionary measure after some positive cases of COVID-19 were found positive in Punjab, he added.
Chief Minister Jairam Thakur had said on Thursday afternoon that the entry of all tourists, including domestic and international, had been banned in the state as a precautionary measure.