Because of this poor rail connectivity, people have/had started travelling by their own means of transport, i.e. cars, jeeps SUVs etc. There are more cars in Patiala than in Chandigarh or Ludhiana as per population ratio. The only hard luck this city has , is that its NOT falling on the mainline route of NDLS-ASR or JAT, but the main line is merely 22 kms from here. FYI : residents of Kurukshetra and Kaithal have been demanding a direct connectivity to Patiala, even a survey was done for the said line in 2009, during Mamta Banerjee's time. But, RB didn't approve of it. Saman residents have also been demanding a link from Patiala-Samana-Jakhal , which is again long pending, and shall open doors of revenue for IR if the new line is laid. But, RB is not giving it a nod despite of the fact they know the potential of it....
more... The interiors of Punjab and Haryana are not connected or are poorly managed by IR. Punjab and Haryana are known as rice bowls of the country and these belts from Patiala-Samana-Jakhal and Kurkshetra-kaithal -Patiala are main, and are thoroughly been ignored. Please refer to this blog post :
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