Dust storm affects rail services in Delhi, adjacent areas

Dust storms and thunderstorms, which swept across parts of northern India, affected rail services with the Nizamuddin-Palwal section being the worst hit as trees fell on railway tracks and overhead electrical equipment got damaged.

A number of trains were stranded, including the Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi Express, which was held up at the Sonepat station. Several goods trains were also stranded, even as operations on other routes remained normal, a railway spokesperson said.

A platform of the Faridabad station suffered structural damage due to the high-velocity winds, and train on the Nizamuddin-Palwal section were running slow till the time of filing this report.

However, services on the vital Delhi-Howrah section remained normal and the premier Rajdhani trains left New Delhi just on time as the dust storm was beginning to hit the city, sources said.

Reports of tree falling on the railway tracks were received from Moradabad and Lucknow divisions as well.