Dense Fog Disrupts Vande Bharat and Other Trains Across Key North India Routes, Causing Delays

Dense fog once again slowed North India’s morning rush on Wednesday, 7 January, as Vande Bharat and other premium trains crawled through near-zero visibility, triggering long delays, selective cancellations and anxious live-status checks from passengers booked on key routes touching New Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir.

Railway officials said visibility dropped sharply before dawn across the northern plains, forcing drivers to rely on fog-safe signalling and run at much lower speeds. This turned flagship services, marketed for punctuality, into late runners, with several Vande Bharat, Shatabdi, Rajdhani and other fast trains reaching terminals hours behind schedule and upsetting morning business and connecting travel plans for thousands of passengers.

Dense fog hits Vande Bharat services across key North India corridors

In Punjab and Delhi sectors, Northern Railway sources reported that the New Delhi Vande Bharat among other premium services was cancelled on some days as low visibility persisted, while departures on several routes were regulated or rescheduled. A recent disruption list from Ludhiana showed the New Delhi Vande Bharat and Jammu Tawi Duronto among services cancelled due to persistent fog, mirroring the wider pattern of winter cutbacks.

Around Chandigarh, the Amb Andaura Vande Bharat and Kalka Shatabdi were delayed by about an hour on multiple days as dense fog persisted over the region for more than a week, with long-distance trains hit harder and running several hours late. In Jammu sector, all incoming trains, including Vande Bharat, reached late amid low visibility, underlining how winter fog has stretched punctuality across almost the entire northern grid.

How widespread are today’s rail delays and cancellations?

Rail disruption has been building steadily through the New Year week. On 4 January, Northern Railway officials said around 74 trains linked to Delhi were affected in a single day, many running hours late due to poor visibility. On dense-fog days, past winters have seen over 260 trains cancelled and more than 300 delayed across North India, offering a sense of the scale now facing passengers as the current cold wave tightens.

Regional snapshots show the pressure on the network. In Chandigarh and Ludhiana zones, express and superfast services have reported delays ranging from one to over five hours this week, while multiple intercity trains stand cancelled under advance winter schedules that run from December 2025 to March 2026. Jhansi-based passengers also reported Vande Bharat, Shatabdi and Sachkhand Express running two to eight hours late recently, demonstrating that even fog-protection devices cannot fully offset very dense fog.

Tools to check live train status, platform and coach position

With ETAs shifting through the morning, officials are urging travellers to check live updates before leaving home. The National Train Enquiry System (NTES) website and RailMadad channels remain the primary official tools for real-time running information, supplemented by the Railways’ integrated enquiry number 139 and mobile apps that display expected arrival, platform changes and coach position for most reserved trains.

Private apps using NTES data can also help track Vande Bharat and other premium services station-by-station, though passengers are advised to cross-check with official sources when visibility is critically low and operations change quickly. At many busy junctions, digital boards and station announcements continue to be important; however, several passengers in Punjab and Delhi sectors have complained of patchy communication, making mobile-based tracking essential for winter journeys.

Refund rules for cancelled or heavily disrupted trains

For passengers whose trains are formally cancelled due to fog, Indian Railways allows a full refund of the fare. For e-tickets booked through IRCTC, cancellations are processed automatically when the train is cancelled in the system, and the amount is usually credited back to the original payment mode; passengers using PRS counters can claim a full refund by surrendering tickets within the prescribed time at any reservation office.

When trains run but are severely delayed, passengers may be eligible for a refund under existing rules if they choose not to travel and cancel within allowed windows, though this is subject to the exact class, quota and timing of cancellation. In all cases, travellers are advised to retain SMS or email confirmations and regularly check IRCTC or railway notifications, as winter fog circulars sometimes relax deadlines or conditions during prolonged disruption.

Scenario	Refund eligibility
Train fully cancelled due to fog	Full fare refund; automatic for e-tickets, counter refund for PRS tickets
Partially cancelled or short-terminated	Proportionate refund for unused journey portion
Passenger cancels due to long delay	Refund as per cancellation rules; check class-wise timelines

With the India Meteorological Department warning that dense to very dense fog and cold wave conditions may persist over the Indo-Gangetic plains for several more days, rail users can expect more slow-running Vande Bharat and premium trains, rolling reschedules and fog-linked cancellations, making careful trip planning, flexible connections and frequent live-status checks crucial to navigating the season with minimum disruption.