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Ludhiana: Commuters stranded for hours as dense fog delays over 20 trains in city
Railway officials said operations remained slow throughout the day due to the persistent fog and advised passengers to check live train status before commencing their journeys
Dense fog and near-zero visibility severely disrupted train operations in Ludhiana on Saturday, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at the Ludhiana Railway Junction. Over 20 trains ran hours behind schedule, as railway officials said poor visibility slowed arrivals and departures throughout the day, affecting both premium and regular services.
Among the worst-hit trains was the Amrapali Express running between Katihar and Amritsar, which was scheduled to arrive at Ludhiana at 8.40 am but eventually reached the station at 5.49 pm, registering a delay of nearly nine hours. The Shan-e-Punjab Express operating between New Delhi and Amritsar, scheduled to reach Ludhiana at 11.44 am, arrived at 6.59 pm, running over seven hours late. Similarly, the Jallianwala Bagh Express, expected at 1.23 pm, reached Ludhiana only at 8.38 pm, nearly seven hours behind schedule.
Other long-distance trains also faced significant delays. The Saryu Yamuna Express from Jaynagar to Amritsar arrived at 5.10 pm instead of 2.06 pm, while the Begampura Express from Jammu Tawi to Varanasi was over three hours late, missing its scheduled arrival of 6.15 pm. The Hirakund Express from Visakhapatnam to Amritsar was delayed by nearly one and a half hours, and the New Delhi to Amritsar Intercity Express ran close to one hour late.
Even premium high-speed services were affected. The Vande Bharat Express running between New Delhi and Katra arrived at Ludhiana nearly three hours late, while the Old Delhi to Amritsar Vande Bharat was delayed by over one hour. The Swarna Shatabdi Express between Amritsar and New Delhi also reported delays. Meanwhile, the Jan Shatabdi Express from Howrah to Amritsar reached Ludhiana at 9.03 pm, about one hour and 25 minutes late against its scheduled arrival time of 7.38 pm.
Railway officials said operations remained slow throughout the day due to the persistent fog and advised passengers to check live train status before commencing their journeys.
Ludhiana also experienced a sharp dip in temperatures, with the minimum settling at 4.6 degrees Celsius, bringing the city close to cold wave conditions. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the lowest minimum in Punjab on Saturday was recorded at 4.4 degrees Celsius at Ballowal Saunkhri, SBS Nagar, with Ludhiana following closely at 4.6 degrees Celsius. Weather officials noted a fall of 2.3 degrees Celsius in the average minimum temperature.
The IMD defines a cold wave when the minimum temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius and remains 4.5 to 6.4 degrees below the seasonal normal. A cold wave is also declared if the minimum temperature falls below 4 degrees Celsius, regardless of seasonal deviation. A severe cold wave is declared when temperatures fall more than 6.5 degrees below normal or reach 2 degrees Celsius or lower.
The IMD had earlier issued a yellow alert for dense fog on Saturday in Ludhiana.
