A major political demonstration in the national capital triggered widespread travel chaos, leaving over 5000 rail passengers stranded on gridlocked roads and causing them to miss their scheduled departures. Extreme congestion across New Delhi and its surrounding arterial corridors brought vehicular movement to a virtual halt, preventing commuters from reaching the railway station in time to board their respective services.
Arterial Corridors Paralyzed for Hours Around Noon
Traffic flow across multiple key transit routes in and around New Delhi began slowing down sharply after 12:00 PM. The situation turned particularly critical along key routes including the Minto Bridge underpass, through which a convoy of opposition parliamentarians passed during the demonstration. As a direct result, transit along this crucial connector remained closed or severely impeded for approximately 3 hours, trapping hundreds of station-bound travelers in unyielding bumper-to-bumper queues.
Premium Express Services and Group Bookings Disrupted
The extensive vehicular logjam directly hit passengers booked on long-distance premium services as well as everyday suburban routes. Among the impacted operations were passengers scheduled to travel on the Dibrugarh Rajdhani, Mumbai Rajdhani, and Vande Bharat services, along with several local trains. Because travelers could not make it to the platforms before departure times, multiple group bookings managed through IRCTC had to be cancelled, leaving thousands of travelers facing unexpected disruption and logistical uncertainty.
