Ludhiana: Railway services across the region continued to remain severely affected as persistent cold wave and dense fog disrupted train operations for yet another day, causing major inconvenience to passengers and daily commuters. Poor visibility led to delays in the movement of several long-distance and inter-city trains, while many others were cancelled.The Ferozepur Cantt Magh Mela Special Express, introduced for pilgrims attending Magh Mela at Sri Muktsar Sahib, was running late by about three hours. The Amritsar Garib Rath Express recorded extensive delay of nearly 10 hours, causing severe discomfort to passengers. The Kanpur Central Superfast Express was also severely affected, running more than five hours behind schedule. Begampura Express was delayed by around three hours. Jammu Tawi Humsafar Express was running more than an hour late, while the Sarbat Da Bhala Express reached its destination with a delay of nearly two hours. The New Delhi Jan Shatabdi Express was also running late by over an hour.Among other trains, Amritsar Intercity Express was running approximately two hours late, while Amritsar Jan Shatabdi Express faced a delay of over one-and-a-half hours. Sachkhand Express ran nearly two-and-a-half hours late, and Hemkunt Express was running over one-and-a-half hours behind schedule.In addition to delays, several trains were cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. Amritsar-Hisar Express was cancelled for the day, while the Hisar-Ludhiana Passenger train was also cancelled once again. The Jalandhar City Intercity Express did not operate. The Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Express continued to remain cancelled. Other cancelled trains included the Delhi Sarai Rohilla Superfast Express, Agra Cantt Express, Jammu Mail, Jammu Tawi Duronto Express, and the Amritsar Jallianwala Bagh Express.Passengers were seen waiting at railway stations for hours, many of them unaware of cancellations until the last moment. “Even though we know that the trains are late, there are still extreme delays, which totally disrupt travel plans. Trains expected in the morning are reaching in the evenings these days. This is highly frustrating,” said Rupinder Singh, a mobile phone technician. “I need to go to Delhi frequently. But train delays these days have sent my schedules totally haywire,” he added.With temperatures plunging sharply, passengers had to endure long waiting hours on cold platforms, adding to their misery. Elderly passengers were among the worst affected. “This is extremely cold. I need to go and see my relatives, but travelling in this weather is very hard,” said an elderly woman waiting at the railway station.
