The cold weather in Chandigarh in the winter months is nothing new but the air and rail connectivity have taken a severe hit this time around. The dense fog had already made travelling by road an impossible task in the early hours but now that the air and rail connectivity have taken a hit the Chandigarh passengers are left with no option. According to sources, as much as six flights were cancelled and many more were diverted to nearby cities from the Chandigarh International Airport.
Trains Delayed in Chandigarh
The Chandigarh citizens travelling to Delhi and other nearby plain areas were prone to road accidents due to very low visibility in the early hours. However, now that the trains have been affected too they aren’t left with any other options. The months of December and January have been harsh on the Indian Railways network but Chandigarh and other Northern areas have taken quite a hit this time around.
The inadequate rail connectivity between the city and the capital is already an issue and the Shatabdi trains plied by the railways have been reaching over two and a half hour late. New Delhi – Kalka Shatabdi reached was supposed to reach Chandigarh by 11:10 AM but reached late at 1:30 PM on Thursday morning. Almost all the other Shatabdi trains connecting the two cities were at least one and a half hour late.
6 Flights From Chandigarh International Airport Were Cancelled
The Chandigarh International Airport too saw the weather turning on itself as six flights including two international ones were canceled from the city. Since the visibility at the runway dropped to 800 meters, the officials decided to halt all operations after 2:30 PM. To add to the inconvenience of the city’s residents the flight from Dubai was diverted to Delhi and the Sharjah flight bound for Chandigarh was diverted to Amritsar.
The airport in Mohali is already going through runway repair work and the officials have decided to close the Chandigarh airport for two months. The residents of the city are now left with the option to travel by road which has already costed over two dozen lives in Punjab this winter.
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