The national capital, New Delhi, is grappling with travel disruptions as dense fog blankets several parts of the country, affecting train schedules. Railway officials have reported delays for as many as 20 trains expected to arrive late on Monday due to the prevailing foggy conditions.
According to Northern Railways, four trains are significantly impacted, running behind schedule by approximately 6 hours. These include the Katihar-Amritsar Express, the Khajuarao-Kurukshetra Express, the Jammutawi-Ajmer Express, and the Ajmer-Katra Pooja Express. Another three trains, namely the Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Express, Ambedkarnagar-Katra Express, and Chennai-New Delhi GT, are anticipated to be delayed by around 2 hours. Additionally, the Manikpur-Nizamuddin Express is expected to arrive almost 4 hours late.
Twelve other trains are running behind by approximately 1-1.30 hours, including Kanpur-New Delhi Shramshakti, Saharsa-New Delhi Vaishali Express, Banglore-Nizamuddin, Bhubneshwar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, Prayagraj-New Delhi Express, Rajendranagar-New Delhi Express, Muzaffarpur-Anand Vihar Express, Amritsar-Mumbai Express, Hyderabad-New Delhi Express, and Chennai-New Delhi GT.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reports that shallow to moderate fog has been experienced in isolated pockets over Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Odisha. Visibility below 500 meters has been recorded in several parts of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Very dense fog conditions have been observed over isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar. Dense fog is expected in isolated pockets of Madhya Pradesh.
The weather conditions have led to significant measures, with the state education department in Chandigarh announcing a temporary suspension of physical classes up to the 8th grade in all government, government-aided, and recognized private schools for the next six days, from January 8 to January 13, 2024. Online classes have been recommended during this period.
In Delhi, thin fog has been witnessed, intensifying cold weather conditions. Parts of the city, including AIIMS and the Barapullah Flyover areas, experienced a layer of fog. The Central Pollution Control Board reports that the air quality in the national capital remains in the very poor category, with the overall Air Quality Index recorded above 300.
The prevailing weather conditions extend beyond Delhi, with dense fog reported in Bihar’s Patna and a thin layer observed on Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir. As the fog persists, travelers are advised to check for updates and plan accordingly, while authorities continue to monitor and manage the impact on transportation and daily activities.