Patna: Rail services through Patna Junction were severely disrupted on Friday, with at least 36 trains delayed by between one and five hours amid fog, operational issues and traffic congestion, railway officials said.
Several prominent express and superfast services arrived well behind schedule. The New Delhi–Howrah Poorva Express was more than three hours late, while the Shramjeevi Superfast Express reached Patna around two and a half hours after its scheduled arrival. The Rajendra Nagar Terminal–New Delhi Tejas Rajdhani Express, a premium service, arrived nearly five hours late.
Other long-distance trains, including the South Bihar Express, Kumbh Express, Udayana Antyodaya Express and Sampoorna Kranti Express, were delayed by two to five hours. Disruptions also extended to local and MEMU services, with fast MEMU trains operating between Vaishali, Koderma, Kiul and Patna running up to five hours late.
Evening and night services such as the Danapur Intercity, Kota–Patna Express and Farakka Express also failed to keep to their timetables, compounding the disruption.
In addition to the delays, the Howrah–Dehradun Upasana Express was cancelled, forcing passengers to seek alternative travel arrangements at short notice.
Railway officials attributed the disruption to dense fog in parts of the network, along with operational constraints and heavy traffic on key routes. Large crowds were reported at Patna Junction as passengers waited for updates.
Passengers complained of a lack of timely information and called for better management during periods of disruption. The railways have advised travellers to check the status of their trains before starting their journeys.
