A thick blanket of dense fog has severely disrupted rail and road connectivity across North India, leading to significant delays in train schedules. Premium and long-distance services, including the flagship Vande Bharat and Rajdhani Express trains, are running behind schedule by over eight hours, causing widespread inconvenience to passengers.
Major Premium Services Hit Hard
The impact on India's premier train services has been particularly stark. India's first Rajdhani Express, running between Howrah and New Delhi, which departed on December 22, arrived in the national capital at 20:19 hours on Tuesday, December 23. This was a staggering delay of more than 10 hours and 30 minutes from its scheduled arrival time of 10:05 hours.
Similarly, the Dibrugarh–New Delhi Rajdhani Express (Train No. 20503) faced major setbacks. Having departed from Dibrugarh at 19:55 hours on December 21, it was scheduled to arrive in Delhi by 13:38 hours on December 23. However, as per the National Train Enquiry System (NTES), the train had not reached its destination even by 22:02 hours, running late by over three and a half hours at that point.
Vande Bharat Express Also Affected
The disruption extended to modern train sets as well. The Khajuraho–Hazrat Nizamuddin Vande Bharat Express (Train No. 22469) commenced its journey from Khajuraho at 17:35 hours today, a delay of nearly three hours from its scheduled departure time of 14:50 hours. According to NTES data, the train is now expected to reach Delhi at 01:38 hours, instead of its original arrival time of 23:10 hours.
List of Other Trains Running Late
The fog-induced chaos is not limited to premium services. Several other important long-distance trains have been severely impacted, leading to a cascading effect on the railway network. Passengers are advised to check real-time status via NTES before travelling.
The following trains, among many others, were reported to be running late due to the poor visibility conditions:
- Train number 12427 Rewa-ANVT Superfast
- Train number 12435 JYG-ANVT Garib Rath
- Train number 12259 Sealdah-Bikaner Duronto
- Train number 12581 BNRS-NDLS Superfast
- Train number 15557 DBG-ANVT Amrit Bharat Express
- Train number BBS-New Delhi Rajdhani Express
- Train number 22361 RJPB-NDLS Amrit Bharat Express
- Train number 15133 Chhapra-ANVT Amrit Bharat Express
Safety Protocols and Passenger Advisory
Indian Railways officials have stated that safety remains the paramount concern during such adverse weather conditions. Train speeds are significantly reduced in fog-affected sections to prevent accidents, which is the primary cause for the extensive delays. The Northern Railway zone has issued advisories asking passengers to verify their train timings and expect delays until the weather clears.
The persistent fog cover, a typical winter phenomenon in the Indo-Gangetic plains, has highlighted the operational challenges faced by the rail network. While new technologies are being deployed, such incidents continue to test the system's resilience during the winter months, affecting thousands of passengers daily.
