Over 4,000 passengers from Mumbai stranded as several trains to Delhi cancelled or rescheduled

Mumbai: Ahead of CJP’s planned protest in Delhi on Saturday, the railways, citing ‘road congestion’ in the national capital, cancelled and rescheduled many long-distance trains, leaving over 4,000 passengers in Mumbai stranded.

Western Railway rescheduled the Mumbai Central-New Delhi Rajdhani Express and the Mumbai Central-Hazrat Nizamuddin August Kranti Rajdhani Express by five hours, while cancelling the Bandra Terminus-Hazrat Nizamuddin Express, Dr Ambedkar Nagar-New Delhi Express, Indore-Hazrat Nizamuddin Express, Indore-New Delhi Express, and Sabarmati-New Delhi Express.

On Central Railway, the CSMT-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express was cancelled, leaving over 1,200 passengers stranded. WR officials reported that more than 4,000 travellers were impacted by the sudden schedule overhauls across its lines.

Across several states, activists were intercepted, deboarded and detained, including a group of 14 women of the All India Students’ Federation (AISF) travelling to Delhi from Pune, which was deboarded at Itarsi on Thursday evening. Anticipating heavy traffic congestion around New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations on Saturday, the Railway Board issued an advisory, prompting the changes.

Trains scheduled to reach the national capital between 4 am and 2 pm on Saturday—and which departed originating stations after 2 pm on Friday--have been pulled from service.