New Delhi: IndiGo has issued a travel advisory for Wednesday (December 17) morning as thick winter mist and dense fog are expected to blanket parts of North and East India, leading to reduced visibility and slower flight movements.

In a post shared on X, the airline said, “As the morning approaches under misty winter skies, fog is predicted across parts of North and East India, which may lead to reduced visibility and a slower pace of flight movements during the early hours. In the interest of safety, some flights may experience delays or adjustments.”

The airline emphasised that it is taking proactive steps to ensure passenger safety. “Our teams across airports are fully prepared and working in close coordination to manage schedules smoothly, assist customers and maintain a steady flow of operations,” the post added.

Passengers are being urged to plan ahead, allowing extra travel time to reach the airport and to check the latest flight status through IndiGo’s website or mobile app.

“Foggy conditions may also impact road traffic, with slower movement and longer travel times expected while commuting to the airport. Customers travelling early are advised to plan with additional buffer time and check the latest flight status on our website or app before leaving home,” the advisory stated.

IndiGo also expressed gratitude to passengers for their patience. “Thank you for your patience and continued trust as we work steadily through the early hours, with visibility expected to improve as the day progresses,” the airline added.

The advisory coincides with similar warnings from the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi. On Tuesday (December 17) morning, the IGI Airport issued a fog advisory, cautioning that departures and arrivals might face disruptions due to low visibility. Around 6:06 am, Delhi Airport reported that flight operations were “steadily recovering” but warned that some delays could persist.

The airport urged passengers to remain in touch with their respective airlines for the most accurate schedule updates. “We appreciate your cooperation and understanding,” the airport said, adding that ground staff and personnel have been deployed across terminals to assist travellers.

The situation is further complicated by Delhi’s deteriorating air quality. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 378 around 8 am on Tuesday, placing it in the “very poor” category.

The combination of dense fog and heavy pollution has reduced visibility in the early morning hours, disrupting air traffic and prompting repeated advisories from both airlines and airport authorities. Passengers are being urged to remain vigilant and plan their journeys with extra time, as conditions are expected to improve gradually as the day progresses.

India’s Slowest Train: In an age where speed defines travel, one Indian train proves that slowing down can be the real thrill. Officially India’s slowest passenger train, the Nilgiris Mountain Railway moves at 9 km per hour, but delivers one of the most unforgettable rail journeys anywhere in the country.

Running between Mettupalayam and Ooty (Udagamandalam) in Tamil Nadu, this heritage train shows passengers that the beauty of a journey often lies in how long it lets you breathe it in.

A Heritage Ride Through The Blue Hills

Recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the Mountain Railways of India, the Nilgiris Mountain Railway stands as a living piece of history and a cherished symbol of India’s railway heritage.

Built in the early 1900s, the narrow-gauge toy train uses a rare rack-and-pinion system to climb the steep slopes of the Western Ghats. It is an engineering marvel that has stood the test of time.

The train’s slow pace is not a limitation but a necessity. The route winds through narrow valleys, sharp bends and steep gradients carved into the Nilgiri hills, demanding caution and precision.

As the train climbs, passengers are treated to a journey that feels suspended between past and present, enhanced by steam locomotives and old-world wooden coaches that echo another era.

Stations, Scenery And A Five-Hour Escape

Covering a distance of about 46 kilometres over nearly five hours, the train stops at hill stations such as Hillgrove, Coonoor, Wellington, Aravankadu, Lovedale and Ketti. Each stop adds to the sense of timelessness, offering brief glimpses into quiet hill-town life.

Along the way, the landscape unfolds in layers. Dense forests give way to misty slopes, waterfalls spill down rocky faces and tea plantations stretch endlessly across the hills. The journey passes through 208 curves, 16 tunnels and around 250 bridges, making every kilometre feel like a carefully crafted postcard.

A Bollywood Moment Frozen In Time

The Nilgiris Mountain Railway also holds a special place in popular culture. It became iconic after featuring in the song ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’ from the 1998 film ‘Dil Se’.

Shot with Shah Rukh Khan and Malaika Arora dancing atop the train, the sequence remains one of Bollywood’s most memorable visuals.

Sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi, the song was filmed on the same train, temporarily painted brown for the shoot. Its slow speed played a key role in making the daring choreography possible, though performers were secured with safety harnesses throughout.

More Than A Train Ride

For most travellers, the Nilgiris Mountain Railway is about slowing down, watching the hills rise and enjoying the journey as it progresses.

In a world obsessed with arrival times, India’s slowest train offers the freedom to enjoy the journey itself.

Thousands of drivers could have speeding fines cancelled after a fault saw some cameras falsely triggered on English motorways and A roads.

And tens of thousands of drivers will have speed awareness courses cancelled as the government orders National Highways to look back at six years of speed camera data.

National Highways said it had found 2,650 wrongful speed camera activations since 2021 due to a delay between cameras and variable speed signs.

Not all camera activations are enforced, so not all of the wrongful activations will have resulted in fines.

Affected drivers will be contacted by police and be reimbursed for any fines while points will be removed from their licences where needed.

More than 36,000 drivers have been told by police their speed awareness courses are being cancelled as a precaution while the speed camera issue is investigated.

Police forces are also thought to be discontinuing thousands of other prosecutions, regardless of whether they were affected by the issue.

Transport minister Simon Lightwood said the government will compensate any affected drivers, refunding speeding fines and rescinding points from licences.

“Steps will be taken to remedy any incorrect prosecutions,” he said in a written statement to parliament.

National Highways apologised for the error.

“Safety is our number one priority,” said chief executive Nick Harris.

“All drivers should continue observing the posted speed limits as normal. Anyone who has been impacted will be contacted by the relevant police force.”

The agency said a temporary fix had been rolled out, providing an extra layer of data from the cameras to police forces so they can filter out any faulty captures.

But the agency gave no clear timeline as to when a permanent fix would be in place.

National Highways, which runs England’s motorways, blamed an “anomaly” in how variable speed cameras were interacting with signs on some A roads and motorways.

It meant a delay of around 10 seconds between cameras and relevant variable speed signs, meaning some drivers were incorrectly identified as speeding after the limit had changed.

So on a road where the speed limit increases, a driver may see a sign saying 60mph, but the camera recording it may still be working on the basis of a previous 40mph speed limit.

National Highways said the 2,650 incidents since 2021 represent fewer than two each day, compared with more than six million activations of speed cameras on the affected roads over the same period.

It said the anomaly has impacted 10% of England’s motorways and major A roads.

The fault affects 154 cameras out of a total of 400 across the entire motorway network – all of the variable speed cameras on smart motorways, and a section of the A14 between Huntingdon and Cambridge plus the A1 approach junction to the A14.

Andy Walpole, 55, from Swindon was one of those who was incorrectly landed with a ticket for speeding on the M25 between junction 9 and Cobham services.

“I was adamant I wasn’t speeding. I drive for a living, so I adhere to the variable speed limits within a mile an hour, so I knew I wasn’t,” he told the BBC.

He opted to pay for a speed awareness course rather than challenge the penalty, because he felt it was difficult to mount a successful appeal.

Though he was refunded the cost of the course, he says: “How can we have trust and faith in the system now?”

He also wonders how many people who chose to take points on their licence would have ended up with higher insurance premiums as a result of an unsafe conviction.

“What if you took your car insurance out the day after you’d taken the points? You declared those points on your insurance — where do you stand then?”

National Highways is working with police to check activations and promised nobody would now be wrongly prosecuted.

Meanwhile, police forces have stopped issuing fines from variable cameras until they have confidence in their accuracy.

National Highways said it will increase the use of traffic patrol officers to enforce speed limits in the meantime.

Lightwood warned drivers that “if you break the law, you can expect to be punished”.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We apologise to anyone who has been affected. Safety was never compromised, and we are working with policing to ensure nobody is incorrectly prosecuted in future.

“Enforcement is still in place, and the public can remain confident that only motorists who break the rules will be penalised.”