Many trains are running late, some cancelled due to heavy fog in Delhi
Foggy weather conditions have affected the smooth running of trains in North India. 81 trains arriving to Delhi on Tuesday morning were running behind schedule and five trains were cancelled.
Heavy fog also led to the cancellation and short-term termination of 64 trains from December 17 this year to Jan 15, 2017. The frequency of as many as 28 trains have been reduced from seven days a week to six to avoid a back log of trains.
Across India, 150 trains have been cancelled due to fog this season and at least 3,500 trains were running late by anything between 4 to 10 hours every day, leaving passengers stranded at the railway stations.
Senior official Neeraj Sharma said, the steps were taken to avert accidents. "With our focus on safety, we have a fog safety device that will alert a driver about an upcoming signal well in time," Mr Sharma said.
"I had to return home for two consecutive days because the train was cancelled,' said Rajwinder Kaur, who was waiting at the Delhi station to board a train to Amritsar to attend her uncle's funeral.
Passengers are only allowed to wait in the dimly-lit waiting room for 2-hours maximum and with most trains running behind schedule by 10 hours, many brave the winter chill out on open platforms.
Rajesh, a student from Madhya Pradesh, came to Delhi to participate in the International Science Festival but the journey back hasn't been an easy one. He says, 'I slept on the platform because the waiting room was full and my train has been delayed by 18 hours.'