Many passengers who arrived at Charbagh railway station on Friday to board Delhi-bound trains had to return without travelling after learning about the sudden cancellations. Several had reached the station with their families and luggage, unaware of the disruption, while others were left scrambling to arrange alternative transport.
The Lucknow Mail and Lucknow-New Delhi AC Special were among the trains cancelled for Friday. An enquiry counter was set up at the station to assist passengers seeking information about the cancellations and refunds. Neeraj Srivastava, a resident of Gaur City in Noida, was among those affected. However, he learnt about the cancellation only after reaching the station. “I have already checked out of my hotel, and now I will have to pay for another night’s stay. This has increased my expenses. Rishabh Rajput, who had come to Lucknow to meet a friend, also found his travel plans disrupted after reaching the station to board the Lucknow Mail. The cancellations came ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar. Railway officials attributed the decision to congestion at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations, leaving passengers at Charbagh to make alternative arrangements at short notice.
He added that around 20% of those seeking assistance had booked tickets offline and had come to the station to claim refunds.
Sarfaraz Ali, a railway official present at the enquiry counter, said most passengers approaching it had arrived with their families and luggage, and discovered that their trains had been cancelled. I am booking a flight for Saturday morning to return to Delhi,” he said. With Saturday and Sunday being holidays for him, he said he would try to book another ticket over the weekend to return home.
He had been staying in Lucknow since Tuesday for an official meeting and was scheduled to return to New Delhi on Friday by the Lucknow-New Delhi AC Superfast Express.
