India, March 19 -- Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday that the discontinuation of certain train halts, implemented post-Covid-19, was not pandemic-related. Instead, it was a decision based on a 2019 study by IIT Bombay, to keep railway tracks vacant for maintenance purposes for a few hours.

The minister was responding to a question from Congress MP K C Venugopal in Lok Sabha regarding the issue.

"This issue has been brought to me by various parliamentarians. It is an issue associated with the public and their sentiments. However, it is imperative to understand the technical aspect behind the matter," Vaishnaw said.

He explained that railway tracks undergo inevitable wear and tear due to the immense pressure exert...