The Rajdhani Express from Bhubaneswar to New Delhi had been run every single day this winter season in spite of heavy fog in northern India, especially in Delhi.
The railway maintenance and operations staffs at Bhubaneswar Railway Station had worked day and night to keep the train operations going despite delays in trains coming from north India side due to heavy fog and consequent delay of various link trains.
Not only the Rajdhani Express, even north bound trains like Purusottam, Kalinga Utkal, Neelachal and Nandankanan Expresses and other such trains had also been run without any break.
However, the ECoR had to reschedule the Rajdhani Express by a few hours on some unavoidable occasions. From December 1 last year to January 20, 2014, Rajdhani Express has been rescheduled only eight times in December and six times in January.
Each Rajdhani Express trip from Bhubaneswar to New Delhi caters to approximately a thousand passengers. Railways felt that cancellation of a train except under unavoidable circumstances would cause inconvenience to this large number of passengers.
It may be recalled that the ECoR has already issued two advisories this winter season stating its commitment to run trains safely during heavy fog even if it means some delay to the trains. Passengers were once again requested to cooperate and appreciate the issue in the interest of safety of trains and passengers travelling in the trains.