New Delhi: Ahead of the winter season and foggy days, the railways have decided to cancel several train services or reduce their trips in the northern states for the safety of passengers due to last-minute train cancellations or delays. A senior railway official informed that this move comes in the backdrop of fog-related issues that occurred in previous years.
"The railways has taken this step after seeing previous years' fog conditions, which led to poor visibility, some train services in foggy areas will be cancelled or reduce their trips", Captain Shashi Kiran, Chief Public Relations Officer of North Western Railways, told ETV Bharat.
“As per weather conditions and fog situation at that time, the number of trains might be increased or reduced for cancellation or trip reduction. It will depend on fog conditions at that time,” the CPRO said. Explaining the idea behind this move, Captain Shashi Kiran said, “We reviewed the previous fog conditions and its effect on train operation services after that railways have taken this step to cancel or reduce trips of some trains. This move will help the passengers to avoid eleventh-hour train cancellations or delay of service issues.”
As per the instructions, some train services will be cancelled or reduced their trips from December 1 to February 28, 2025. This step will help to ensure the safety of passengers and minimise the hustle and bustle of the journey as travellers will get enough time to plan their journey during the winter season according to the availability of trains.
In the past years, it has been seen that during the winter season, several parts of the country face serious dense fog conditions, which lead to significant disruptions in train and flight services. Dense fog creates a low visibility situation that puts an impact on normal train operations and causes inconvenience for passengers across the country. Running a train at normal speed during dense fog is also risky for passengers as well as trains following which commuters had to face delays in train services of up to 6 to 10 hours in previous years.
Indian Railways has already made provisions for 19,742 Fog Pass Devices to ensure smooth rail operations during the foggy weather. This initiative marks a crucial step in improving the reliability of train services, reducing delays and enhancing overall passengers’ safety, the Ministry of Railways earlier informed.
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