NEW DELHI: Over 75 long-distance express and mail trains to and from New Delhi and Nizamuddin stations, and 179 local trains have been cancelled for Saturday. The number may rise.Trains scheduled to arrive between 4am and 2pm would be impacted the most. A senior official said intel inputs and the traffic advisory indicated severe road congestion around New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations in this period.Railway veterans said such mass cancellations over “traffic concerns” was “unprecedented”.Among the major trains cancelled are Magadh Exp, Tejas Rajdhani Exp, Sampoorna Kranti Exp, Shatabdi, Prayagraj Exp, and Humsafar Exp.As entry and exit from metro stations around the city was stopped Friday 9pm, a few people found themselves stuck after work and classes, missing the window to get back home.Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had announced closure of 57 stations in view of the protests against SIR and CEC Gyanesh Kumar early Friday. This was revised to 45 stations late evening, hours after the Supreme Court raised concerns about the mass closure.Anika Sharma, 24, who is taking evening classes at an institute in Mandi House reached the metro station at 9.15 and found it shut.“I knew closures had been announced, but I thought they were for tomorrow. I didn’t even have internet because of the ban, so I couldn’t book a cab either. Finally, a policeman helped me find an autorickshaw after 25 minutes,” Sharma, a resident of Said-ul-Ajab, said. She wasn’t alone.Kritika Gupta, 38, who works in a finance firm near Karol Bagh was among those who couldn’t make it to the metro station in time.“I’m usually out of office by 7.30pm, but had to stay back today for a last-minute assignment. I could leave only at 9.15pm. By the time I reached the metro station, it was 9.30pm. I waited for 15 minutes to find a cab after multiple cancellations,” said the Noida resident.Security personnel could be seen patrolling outside metro stations in central Delhi Friday evening,According to the DMRC note, entry/exit at the station will be suspended till further notice.
