BHUBANESWAR: East Coast Railway (ECoR) has planned to reschedule or cancel some of the long route trains following forecast of dense fog conditions in northern parts of the country and some parts in its jurisdiction next week.
A railway spokesperson said cold wave is likely sweep through different parts of the country during the period. Train operations will be affected due to poor visibility which is expected to reduce to less than 50 metre during late night and early morning hours and 150 metre during day time during fog.
“If such conditions persist, punctuality of train services towards and from ECoR will be hampered. Many important trains like Purusottam, Neelachal, Nandankanan, Sampark Kranti, Duronto, Kalinga Utkal, Rajdhani and New Delhi Super Fast via Angul, Jharsuguda and Sambalpur-Jammu Tawi Express may be affected badly. It may cause abnormal delay of connecting train movements also,” he warned.
Railways have extended its SMS alerts for cancellation of trains and also for departure delays. SMS alerts are being sent to passengers about boarding at departure station.
“The idea is to inform passengers in advance about cancellation and delays so that they will not have to wait for long hours at stations. It will also help passengers plan their arrival. Passengers who have mentioned their mobile numbers while booking tickets are given SMS alert,” the spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, ECoR has urged passengers to refer helpline number 139 to know the current status of trains or may follow National Train Enquiry System (NTES) in website or in NTES App in Mobile.