Persistent dense fog and cold weather are causing disruptions to train services to and from the national capital, resulting in delays of up to eight hours or more for around two dozen long-distance trains. Northern Railways reported that 24 trains heading to Delhi were behind schedule on Thursday due to poor visibility conditions caused by fog.
Among the affected trains, the Gaya-New Delhi Mahabodhi Express (12397) faced an eight-hour delay. Similarly, the Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Express (12801), Katihar-Amritsar Express (15707), Bhubneshwar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express (22811), and Bhubneshwar-New Delhi Duronto (12281) experienced delays exceeding 5 hours. Several other trains, including the Manikpur-Nizamuddin Exp (12447), Kamakhya-Delhi Jn Brahmputra Mail (15658), Amritsar-Mumbai (12904), and Chennai-New Delhi Express(12621), reported delays ranging from one to four hours.
The mercury in the national capital dropped to 4.4 degrees Celsius on Thursday, as reported by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Lodhi Road, Safdarjung, Ayanagar, Ridge, and Palam areas recorded temperatures ranging from 4.4 to 5.9 degrees Celsius. Dense fog led to low visibility in various parts of the city, including Brigadier Hoshiyar Singh Road, Anand Vihar, and India Gate.
The IMD noted that Safdarjung, Delhi’s main weather station, recorded visibility of 50 meters at 5:30 am, while Palam reported 25 meters. According to the IMD’s visibility categories, these conditions fall under ‘very dense’ fog.
The weather department predicted that dense fog would persist in the city on Republic Day, Friday, with the minimum temperature remaining at 7 degrees Celsius. Highlighting cold wave conditions in parts of North India, the IMD mentioned, “Cold day to severe cold day conditions prevailed in many parts of Punjab, East Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar; in some parts of West UP, Haryana, Chandigarh, and northwest Rajasthan. Cold day conditions were also observed in isolated pockets of Delhi and southwest Madhya Pradesh.”