The Railways has cancelled all mail and express trains scheduled to arrive at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations between 4am and 2pm on Saturday, October 10, citing the likelihood of severe road traffic congestion around the stations due to a planned Opposition protest in central Delhi.
According to an internal communication dated October 9, the cancellations apply to trains scheduled to start from their originating stations after 2pm on Friday and arrive at the two stations between 4am and 2pm on Saturday. The trains will be cancelled at their source itself.
People familiar with the matter told HT that the Railways has drawn up a contingency plan to minimise passenger inconvenience and ensure safety amid the anticipated congestion. Track all updates on Jantar Mantar October 10 protest here
"Around 5,000 passengers missed their train on Thursday, which is why the Railways has now implemented proactive passenger safety measures due to the protest in Delhi on 10th October, to minimise passenger inconvenience," one person aware of the development said.
"Intelligence inputs and traffic advisory indicate severe road congestion around New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station area on Saturday between 4am and 2pm due to planned protest by Opposition parties in Central Delhi," a second person said.
{{/usCountry}}"Intelligence inputs and traffic advisory indicate severe road congestion around New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station area on Saturday between 4am and 2pm due to planned protest by Opposition parties in Central Delhi," a second person said.
{{/usCountry}}"This is the same pattern we saw recently at New Delhi station, where due to rush and road blockades linked to such protests, a train departed leaving nearly 5,000 genuine passengers left behind on platforms unable to reach on time. Citizens suffered because of this protest," he added.
"To ensure that passengers do not face similar hardship, Railways has taken a proactive, precautionary step and decided that all Mail/Express trains starting from source after 2pm on Friday which were scheduled to arrive New Delhi / Hazrat Nizamuddin between 4am and 2pm on Saturday, October 10 are cancelled from the source itself."