Winter Fog Severely Disrupts Northern Railway Operations, Causing Widespread Delays and Cancellations
The winter fog that blanketed northern India this season did more than just obscure the skyline—it created significant operational challenges for Northern Railway, resulting in substantial disruptions to train services. According to official data presented in Parliament, one in every eight express trains experienced delays, while numerous services faced cancellations across critical routes.
Parliamentary Disclosure Reveals Extent of Disruption
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw provided detailed statistics to the Lok Sabha in response to a query raised by Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari. The minister revealed that despite implementing various visibility-enhancing technologies and safety protocols, 12.1% of express services under Northern Railway lost punctuality during the fog-affected period.
Vaishnaw emphasized that fog and climate-related conditions impact all transportation modes, including rail, road, and air. Given that the extensive railway network spans multiple districts and states, trains must operate across diverse climatic zones. While Indian Railways makes every possible effort to maintain scheduled operations, dense winter fog frequently leads to delays, cancellations, and partial cancellations.
Detailed Cancellation and Delay Statistics
The minister provided specific figures illustrating the operational impact:
- Approximately 2.7% of scheduled mail/express trains on the Northern Railway network were cancelled due to fog conditions.
- On the North-western Railway network, which serves areas including Hisar and Hansi, about 0.8% of scheduled mail/express trains were cancelled during the same period.
- Beyond cancellations, 12.1% of Express trains on Northern Railway and 4.4% of Mail/Express trains on North-western Railway experienced loss of punctuality attributed to fog.
Technological Countermeasures and Safety Initiatives
To mitigate the impact of poor visibility and enhance operational safety during foggy conditions, Indian Railways has implemented multiple advanced safety measures. A key initiative involves the deployment of a GPS-based portable 'Fog Safe Device' (FSD) provided to locomotive pilots.
This innovative device displays advance information about critical landmarks such as approaching signals, level crossing gates, and permanent speed restrictions, enabling safer train operations during low-visibility conditions. As of December 31, 2025, a total of 29,489 Fog Safe Devices were available across Indian Railways.
Infrastructure and Signaling Enhancements
In addition to the Fog Safe Devices, Indian Railways has installed electrical and electronic interlocked signaling systems with absolute or automatic block working to ensure safe and smooth train operations. On the particularly busy Delhi-Chandigarh section, Modified Semi-Automatic Stop Signals were introduced within the automatic signaling system specifically to minimize delays during foggy periods.
These comprehensive measures represent Indian Railways' ongoing commitment to addressing weather-related challenges while maintaining safety standards across its vast network. However, as the parliamentary data demonstrates, extreme weather conditions continue to pose significant operational hurdles that require continued technological innovation and infrastructure improvement.
