E-Paper
Mauni Amavasya rush disrupts rail, air services in Prayagraj
Several important trains were delayed by two to six hours, while air services from major cities such as Mumbai and Delhi were also affected on Sunday.
On the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, the biggest bathing festival of the ongoing 44-day annual religious fair, Magh Mela 2026, pilgrims, devotees and general passengers arriving in Prayagraj faced significant inconvenience due to delays in train and flight services.
Several important trains were delayed by two to six hours, while air services from major cities such as Mumbai and Delhi were also affected on Sunday.
Trains arriving from New Delhi were the worst affected. The Prayagraj Express reached Subedarganj railway station around 11 am, nearly four hours behind schedule, after which passengers proceeded towards the Sangam for the holy dip.
The Humsafar Express arrived about 5.45 hours late. The Vibhuti Express from Howrah was delayed by one-and-a-half hours, while the Shivganga Express reached about 30 minutes late. The list of delayed trains also included the Vande Bharat Express. The Vande Bharat from New Delhi arrived at Prayagraj Junction around 2.15 hours late, while the Vande Bharat from Agra was delayed by 1.06 hours. Several other trains, including the Mahananda Express and the Rewa Express, also arrived late.
Due to these delays, passengers faced considerable hardship at railway stations.
Advocate Avinash Chandra, a resident of Dhoomanganj, and Vaibhav, returning home by the Kalindi Express, had to wait for a long time due to the delayed arrival of the train. Passengers reported difficulties in accessing food, drinking water and seating arrangements during the wait. Many travellers lodged complaints by messaging the Prayagraj DRM on the social media platform X.
Air services were also disrupted on Sunday. While flights from Bhubaneswar and Bengaluru arrived and departed on time, services from Delhi and Mumbai were delayed. The Mumbai flight, scheduled to arrive at 1 pm, landed at 3.54 pm, resulting in the return flight departing at 4.45 pm instead of 1.30 pm. The Delhi flight departed at 3.28 pm instead of the scheduled 3.10 pm. However, Akasa Air’s flight to Delhi operated on time, providing some relief to passengers.
