JOIN USIt was a chilly Christmas for Delhiites as the maximum temperature plummeted five degrees below normal and fog enveloped most parts of the national capital.The city and adjoining areas witnessed dense fog this morning and the maximum temperature dropped to 16.7 degrees Celsius, five degrees below normal, MeT department said.
Train services in the city continue to be severely affected due to dense fog, causing inconvenience to thousands of passengers in biting cold.
Railways cancelled seven trains and rescheduled departure of around 50 trains on Tuesday. Around 90 trains, including the Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express, are scheduled to arrive several hours behind schedule.
Several passengers were left waiting for trains in cold at the stations. Passengers are forced to spend time at platforms as the waiting rooms are running full.
Sambhu Sinha was waiting for Mahabodhi Express, scheduled to leave at 2 pm at New Delhi station.
“They have rescheduled the train for 10.30 in the night. However, there are doubts over timing of the train’s departure. We have no option but to wait at the platform with my family as the waiting rooms are running full,” Sinha said.
With the number of passengers stranded at the stations increasing by the day, long queues were seen even outside the cloak rooms.
Vishwajeet, a student of National Brain Research Centre, was to board Orissa Smapark Kranti express scheduled at 7 am. But the train was rescheduled for 1 pm. “We left from Gurgaon at around 11, but we came to know that the train has been once again rescheduled for 7 in the evening. Now we have decided to hang around for a while in Connaught Place,” said Vishwajeet, waiting outside the cloak room at New Delhi station.
Northern Railway officials said the disruption has led to cancellation of seven trains including Delhi-Malda Farraka Express, Anand Vihar Patna Special train, Nizamuddin Jhansi Taj Express, New Delhi Amritsar Shan-e-Panjab Sitamarhi-Anand Vihar Lichhavi express, Amritsar- New Delhi Shan-E-Panjab and Jhansi Nizamuddin Taj Express.
Due to the late arrival of trains, around 50 trains were rescheduled on Tuesday with Rajdhanis scheduled to leave five to six hours behind schedule.
Some of the major trains running behind schedule includes Patna-Anand Vihar Express (37 hrs), Magadh Express (24 hrs), Patna Rajdhani (15 hrs), Mahananda Express (25 hrs), Howrah Delhi Kalka (18 hrs), Bhubaneshwar – New Delhi Smapark Kranti (17 hours) and Neelanchal Express (15 hours).