North India Reels Under Dense Fog; 94 Trains Delayed, Flights Disrupted In Delhi; Cold Wave Persists

New Delhi: North India continues to reel under a harsh spell of dense fog, biting cold and deteriorating air quality, severely disrupting daily life in the national capital and adjoining regions.

Poor visibility has impacted both rail and air traffic, leading to widespread delays and cancellations.

Flight And Train Services Hit By Fog

Train Delays

Northern Railway CPRO Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay stated that poor visibility delayed 94 trains to and from Delhi on January 6. Railway officials explained that fog obscures signals for loco pilots, so they regulate speeds to ensure passenger safety.

Major Trains Delayed

At New Delhi Railway Station:

• 64567 Bulandshahr-Tilak Bridge MEMU: 1 hr
• 11841 Geeta Jayanti Express: 1 hr 57 min
• 12559 Shiv Ganga SF: 2 hr 30 min
• 12301 Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani: 1 hr 48 min
• 12581 Banaras–New Delhi SF: 2 hr 23 min
• 12627 Karnataka SF: 3 hr 20 min
• 22823 Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Tejas Rajdhani: 2 hr 32 min
• 12313 Sealdah-New Delhi Rajdhani: 1 hr 40 min
• 12441 Bilaspur-New Delhi Rajdhani: 2 hr 13 min
• 12259 Sealdah-Bikaner Duronto: 2 hr 4 min
• 12485 Hazur Sahib Nanded-Sri Ganganagar SF: 3 hr 25 min
• 12877 Ranchi-New Delhi Garib Rath: 2 hr 30 min
• 12349 Godda-New Delhi Humsafar: 1 hr 37 min
• 12625 Kerala SF: 1 hr 3 min
• 12715 Sachkhand SF: 1 hr 30 min
• 20801 Magadh Express: 2 hr 38 min
• 12423 Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani: 4 hr 33 min
• 12716 Sachkhand Express: 2 hr 25 min

At Hazrat Nizamuddin Station:

• 12953 August Kranti Rajdhani: 1 hr 39 min
• 12627 Karnataka SF: 3 hr 20 min
• 12649 Karnataka Sampark Kranti: 3 hr 51 min
• 12221 Mumbai-Hazrat Nizamuddin: 2 hr 21 min
• 12889 Mahakaushal Express: 2 hr 35 min
• 18478 Kalinga Utkal Express: 2 hr
• 12192 Shridham SF: 1 hr 58 min
• 12715 Sachkhand SF: 1 hr 29 min
• 12669 Chennai Central-Hazrat Nizamuddin: 3 hr 25 min
• 12617 Mangala Lakshadweep SF: 1 hr 19 min

At Anand Vihar Terminal:

• 13257 Jansadharan Express (unreserved): 1 hr 27 min
• 12435 Jaynagar-Anand Vihar Garib Rath: 3 hr 39 min
• 15273 Satyagrah Express: 3 hr 45 min

Dozens of other trains were delayed by less than an hour.

Flight Disruptions

Fog also affected flight operations, with airlines including SpiceJet and IndiGo reporting delays and cancellations.

SpiceJet updates:

• Delhi-Varanasi SG 8718: Cancelled
• Delhi-Port Blair SG 263: Delayed
• Delhi-Varanasi SG 9718: Delayed
• Delhi-Gorakhpur SG 937: Cancelled
• Delhi-Dharamshala SG 2939: Not operating
• Delhi-Mumbai SG 664: Delayed

At Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), flights continued under CAT III conditions, allowing operations in very low visibility, though passengers were advised to expect delays and check with airlines. IndiGo also cautioned that fog and low visibility could affect flights to several cities, including Delhi, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Varanasi, Ranchi, and others.

Advisory For Passengers: Check real-time train and flight status before leaving home to avoid inconvenience.

Weather Update: Cold Persists, Fog Patchy

Weather conditions remain severe across large parts of north, central and eastern India, with cold wave conditions tightening their grip. Snowfall in the hill states and dense fog in the plains have intensified the chill, affecting daily life and transport. In Delhi, strong surface winds on Monday brought temporary relief from dense fog, but cold and biting conditions persisted despite bright sunshine, and the overall cooling trend continues.

On Monday, the national capital recorded a maximum temperature of 18.0°C, about 1.3°C below normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 6.6°C, marginally below the seasonal average. Humidity levels fluctuated sharply between 61 per cent and 100 per cent, contributing to the persistent chill.

Shallow fog was observed in parts of the city during early morning hours on Tuesday, with minimum temperatures hovering around 7.6°C at stations such as Safdarjung, Lodhi Road, Ridge and Ayanagar, while Palam recorded a slightly lower 6.5°C, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

For Tuesday, the weather office has forecast patchy, shallow fog in the morning, followed by clear skies later in the day. The maximum temperature is expected to remain around 18-19°C, while the minimum may hover near 7°C.

IMD’s extended outlook suggests that between January 6 and 11, maximum temperatures in Delhi-NCR are likely to range between 18-20°C, with minimum temperatures around 8-9°C.

Winds are expected to remain around 15 kmph, and no sharp drop in temperatures is anticipated over the next few days.

Air Quality: Poor To Very Poor Across Delhi-NCR

A thick layer of smog continued to blanket the national capital on Tuesday, keeping air quality in the ‘Poor’ to ‘Very Poor’ category across most parts of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and its Sameer app showed the city’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) ranged between 288 and 293, firmly in the ‘Poor’ category.

Station-wise data showed that Chandni Chowk recorded the worst air quality at 352, falling into the ‘Very Poor’ category. Other pollution hotspots included Anand Vihar (343), RK Puram (324), Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (313), Dwarka (307), Ashok Vihar (302) and ITO (281-286). In contrast, relatively better air quality in the ‘Moderate’ category was recorded in Bawana (194) and at IGI Airport (185).

Across the wider NCR region, AQI readings remained elevated, with Faridabad at 268, Gurugram at 271, Ghaziabad at 288, Greater Noida at 262 and Noida at 256, indicating sustained pollution levels. CPCB data further indicated that 20 monitoring stations recorded ‘Very Poor’ air quality, 15 remained in the ‘Poor’ category and only two stations posted ‘Moderate’ conditions.

The Air Quality Early Warning System forecasts Delhi’s air quality will stay in the 'Poor' to 'Very Poor' range over the next six days. Authorities recently revoked Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) due to favourable meteorological conditions.

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