New Delhi, Jan 27 (IANS) Thousands of passengers were stranded yet again at the Delhi airport and railway stations Wednesday morning as a thick layer of fog blanketed the national capital, disrupting air and rail services.
The visibility level dropped to nearly zero around 5.30 a.m., affecting over 100 domestic and international flights and delaying at least 40 trains, while many were rescheduled or even cancelled.

“My flight to Jaipur was scheduled to take off at 6.20 a.m. and in order to reach on time I started at 3.30 a.m. from my east Delhi house. When I reached the airport I was told that the flight had been cancelled. I wish the airlines would have informed me in advance as it would have avoided a lot of trouble,” said Ramesh Singh, a businessman.

Many other passengers complained of not being informed about rescheduling of their flights and were made to wait for hours at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).

“My flight to Mumbai was scheduled to take off at 6.50 a.m. For three hours I have been waiting at the airport and still the status is delayed. I had a connecting flight to Hyderabad and will miss that flight,” said Shashi Singh, an engineering student.

Delhi has witnessed dense fog throughout January, which on most days was for 5 to 15 hours. The average per day for this time of the season is usually 1.5 hours.

The thick fog Tuesday was recorded to be the most intense this season and the weatherman said if the situation prevails, January will break the record of longest hours of fog witnessed in the past seven years.

“The low visibility landing procedure was activated due to poor visibility. Several domestic and international flights have been diverted, cancelled and rescheduled due to the fog,” an airport official said.

Passengers at the New Delhi Railway station, Nizamuddin Railway station and Old Delhi Railway station also had a harrowing time as trains were running several hours behind schedule.

According to northern railways, as many as 40 trains were delayed and 11 have been cancelled due to the fog.

“I have been waiting at the railway station from Tuesday night to catch the New Delhi-Puri Express. When I reached the station I was told that it has been delayed by two hours and the present status is that it is running late by more than 12 hours,” said Shyam Mohanty, a daily wage worker, who needs to reach Orissa early to attend to his ailing mother.

The low visibility level affected road traffic as well, with motorists forced to drive slow.

The minimum temperature Wednesday settled at 9.8 degrees Celsius, two notches above the average.

The met officials attributed the fog to moisture in the atmosphere and have forecast the maximum temperature to settle around 22 degrees.