Train schedules derailed, chaos at railway stations

New Delhi: Chaos, unprecedented rush and confusion prevailed at New Delhi, Old Delhi, and Anand Vihar Railway stations on Friday morning after at least 107 trains were said to be running behind schedule for as many as 34 hours. Around 32 trains were rescheduled while four trains were cancelled due to dense fog in parts of North India, throwing life out of gear.

With throngs of people crowding the enquiry counter demanding information on their delayed train, many waited impatiently spreading newspapers and bed sheets on the platforms. Seema Chauhan, a homemaker and a mother of a five-year-old boy, Sonu, was scheduled to board her train at 9 am from Anand Vihar Railway Station but with the delay of over 12 hours, Ms Chauhan was left with no option but to wait at the station. “I am travelling with my five-year-old son who is unwell and getting cranky. I had come to the station today morning at 8 as I had a train to catch for Mau Khas. But, now as per the announcement, the train has been delayed by over 12 hours and is expected to come by 9 pm. It has become difficult for me to wait along with my son,” she lamented.  

Indu, a 1st year BA Hons student of Delhi University and a native of Varanasi, was caught unawares after she landed at the New Delhi railway station on Friday without checking the status of her train Kashi Vishwanath, which was scheduled to depart at 11.30 am. With low battery in her phone and no charging points available at the station, she was forced to go back to her hostel. “There are no charging points where a passenger can charge the phone. The toilets are dirty while the railway authorities seemed to be clueless about the arrival of the delayed trains,” she rued.

A railway official attached to Anand Vihar Railway Station informed this correspondent that due to dense fog, not even a single train has departed or arrived at the station since morning.

“It’s already past 2.30 pm and not a single train has been moved. The trains which were announced delayed yesterday, even they haven’t arrived yet,” the official said.

Passengers also complained about lack of basic facilities at the stations.

An official said that it is not humanly possible to listen to a sea of crowd hushing and pushing each other. Furthermore, the scene at the luggage scanner machines also looked chaotic where people frantically rushed to pass their luggage giving hard time to the policemen on duty.

“It is the usual scene around this time of the year as people leave for home in the wake of winter holidays. We had anticipated the chaos due to fog and delayed trains, therefore, we have appointed three officials at each scanner machine,” said Brij Mohan Lal, an officer on duty at Anand Vihar railway station.

Meanwhile, the story was no different for relatives of passengers who were seen running from one counter to another to get information. “I have come to pick up my wife and mother-in-law who are returning from Bhopal. Already, three hours have gone by and the train has not reached yet. Looking at the scene, it seems I have to wait up for few more hours,” said Anuj Arora, who works with a startup firm.