On Tuesday, pollution levels rose to an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 300, adding to the discomfort of passengers forced to wait for delayed trains. The combination of festival rush, prolonged waiting hours and polluted air has increased the difficulties faced by elderly passengers, women and children.
With families eager to reach home for the festivals, train delays have disrupted travel schedules and left passengers struggling to manage extended waits at railway platforms.
Several major trains passing through the railway station on Tuesday arrived significantly behind their scheduled timings. Passengers travelling long distances were among the worst affected, with delays in several trains extending to five to six hours.
The special summer train travelling from Jogbani to Anand Vihar Terminal arrived 6 hours and 27 minutes late. The Bareilly-Delhi Passenger, running from Bareilly to Delhi, was delayed by 5 hours and 34 minutes.
The special train travelling from Anand Vihar to Purnia Court arrived 4 hours and 31 minutes behind schedule, while the Amritsar Garib Rath Express, running from Saharsa to Amritsar, was delayed by 3 hours and 15 minutes.
Other major trains also experienced delays on Tuesday. The Avadh Assam Express, travelling from Dibrugarh to Lalgarh, arrived 1 hour and 19 minutes late. The special train running from Varanasi to Delhi was delayed by 2 hours.
The Kashi Vishwanath Express, travelling from Banaras to New Delhi, arrived 1 hour and 10 minutes behind schedule, while the Padmavat Express, running from Pratapgarh to Delhi, was delayed by 45 minutes.
The Ala Hazrat Express, travelling from Bhuj to Bareilly, arrived 32 minutes late. The Nauchandi Express, running from Prayagraj to Saharanpur, was delayed by 29 minutes, while the Lucknow Mail, travelling from Lucknow to New Delhi, arrived 36 minutes behind schedule.
Several other trains also operated behind their scheduled timings, further affecting passengers travelling during the festival season.
Waiting with children in toxic air becomes difficult
The prolonged delays have left passengers with the additional challenge of spending hours waiting at railway platforms amid rising pollution and smog.
Passengers said the festival rush had already increased pressure on railway stations, with crowds growing as trains failed to arrive on time. The delays have resulted in more passengers waiting on platforms for extended periods.
According to passengers, spending hours in a polluted environment with children and elderly family members has become extremely difficult.
They said clean air was not available at the station, while adequate seating arrangements were also lacking in proportion to the growing crowds.
With limited options, passengers have been forced to find space on the platforms and wait with their luggage until their trains arrive.
The combination of festival travel demand, prolonged train delays and deteriorating air quality has turned the journey home into a difficult experience for passengers hoping to reach their families in time for Diwali and Chhath.
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