Balangir: Passengers of the Sambalpur-Rayagada Tapaswini Express staged protest by squatting before the engine at Loisingha railway station on Tuesday against the frequent delay in rail services.

Things returned to normality and the train started its journey after intervention of the station master. The train, which should reach Loisingha at 7.40am, arrived there at 9.05am.

Sahadev Sahu, a daily commuter, said: "It is an important train for the working class commuters, who travel regularly in this train. Many people, who work in Balangir, Titilagarh and Kesinga, travel by the train regularly."

Sahu said the inordinate delay had put the passengers in a fix. "Of late the train is delayed almost every day. The railway must make sure that the train run on time," Sahu said. Loisingha station master Ramachandra Bharasagar said: "They were angry as many depend on this train to go to their work place."