Indian Railways Cancels Trains to Major Delhi Stations for Ten Hours Due to Protests

Indian Railways has cancelled all train services arriving at and departing from New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations for ten hours on Saturday, October 10. The ten-hour suspension will run from 4 am to 2 pm.

Reasons and Impact

A senior railway official confirmed that the step aims to reduce trouble for passengers during a protest by the Cockroach Janta Party in the capital. Officials noted that about 5,000 passengers missed their trains on Thursday. The Ministry of Railways stated that intelligence reports and traffic warnings point to heavy road jams around both station areas due to planned opposition protests in Central Delhi.

Affected Services

To prevent further passenger hardship, trains starting after 2 pm on October 9 that were due to reach these two stations during the shutdown window are cancelled at their starting points. Additionally, Eastern Railway has cancelled two Rajdhani Express trains leaving West Bengal on Friday, October 9. These are the Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express and the Sealdah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express.

Context

Large public protests in capital cities frequently force transport authorities to adjust schedules to manage crowds and prevent safety risks on roads near major hubs. Railway networks often take early steps to stop trains far from affected zones when heavy traffic jams are expected.