Jaipur: North Western Railway has announced significant disruptions to rail services due to winter fog, affecting passengers travelling to Golden Temple in Amritsar and those bound for Kolkata.From Dec to Feb, key trains such as Ajmer–Amritsar Express and Ajmer–Sealdah Express will face numerous cancellations—26 and 39 trips, respectively—in fog-prone sections such as Kanpur, Agra, Tundla and Ambala, affecting pilgrims headed to Golden Temple and travellers bound for West Bengal, reducing their travel options during the fog season.“Winter fog will disrupt rail travel from Rajasthan for three months. We have decided not to operate the Amritsar-Ajmer and Ajmer-Amritsar from Dec 1 to Feb 28, 2027 due to excessive fog and delays,” said Amit Sudarshan, chief public relations officer, NWR.He added that the Ajmer–Sealdah service frequency is also being reduced to improve punctuality: “It is a daily train but will run tri-weekly,” he said.As per the railways’ plan, Ajmer–Amritsar Express (19611) and Amritsar–Ajmer Express (19614) will each have 26 trips cancelled in the period. Ajmer–Sealdah Express (12988) and Sealdah–Ajmer Express (12987) will each lose 39 trips. Dibrugarh–Lalgarh Express (15909) and Lalgarh–Dibrugarh Express (15910) will also see 13 trips cancelled each.The cancellations are already forcing passengers to alter travel plans. Manoj Chugh, who planned to visit Golden Temple with his parents, said he will now go to Delhi by train and continue by bus to Amritsar, adding another leg to the journey. Robin Chatterji, travelling for a wedding in Kolkata on Dec 21, is considering alternatives: “With fewer convenient train options available on the Ajmer–Sealdah route, I may travel to Delhi to get Rajdhani express to Kolkata,” he said.Railway authorities said the changes are intended to support safe operations and maintain smoother scheduling during dense fog conditions. They also clarified that cancellations will apply on specified dates, not continuously across the entire three-month period.
