Delhi-bound trains halted as protest sparks massive cancellations

Indian Railways cancelled at least 45 trains that were due to reach New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin on Saturday because of the anticipated crowd and traffic problems linked to the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest. The rail authority said that the same number of outbound services from those stations were also withdrawn. A total of 165 trains normally arrive at the two stations each day, and the decision was taken to avoid severe road congestion around the terminals. The Northern Railway issued a notice that any mail or express train departing its origin after 2 p.m. on 9 October 2026 and scheduled to arrive in Delhi between 4 a.m. and 2 p.m. on 10 October would be stopped at its source. Examples include the Prayagraj Express, which leaves Prayagraj at 10:10 p.m. and was pulled from the schedule, while the Kerala Express that left Thiruvananthapuram on 8 October remains running. Premium services such as Shatabdi, Humsafar, Rajdhani and Tejas were among those cancelled. Specific cancellations listed by the railways cover the Magadh Express, Rajendra Nagar‑New Delhi Tejas, Sampoorna Kranti, Rajendra Nagar‑New Delhi Amrit Bharat, Kanpur‑New Delhi Shatabdi, Prayagraj‑New Delhi Express, Prayagraj‑New Delhi Humsafar, Kanpur‑New Delhi Shramshakti, Manikpur‑Hazrat Nizamuddin Sampark Kranti, Agra‑New Delhi Intercity and several services from Jabalpur, Indore, Rewari and Hisar. Some trains, such as the Mumbai Central‑New Delhi Tejas Rajdhani and August Kranti Tejas Rajdhani, were only rescheduled. Social‑media users criticised the move, accusing the government of trying to block protesters from reaching Jantar Mantar. The Supreme Court warned that measures must not halt all transport and urged authorities to apply the principle of proportionality, cautioning against using a "hammer to kill a fly".

Context

Delhi’s main stations handle a huge daily passenger flow, so any large‑scale protest can quickly overwhelm road and rail links. Courts often step in to ensure that security actions do not unnecessarily disrupt ordinary commuters.