Two hours, 500 metres: How Gurgaon’s rain stole my train
A commuter in Gurgaon describes the frustration of missing a train due to severe traffic congestion caused by sudden rain. The piece highlights the systemic failure of urban infrastructure to handle extreme weather events.
Why it matters
It illustrates the real-world economic and personal impact of poor urban planning and infrastructure resilience in rapidly growing cities.
GURGAON: I left home in Sector 48 by cab at 1.10pm on Monday to catch a 4.10pm train from New Delhi Railway Station.The plan was to reach the Metro and take Yellow Line to New Delhi. And I thought a three-hour buffer was enough, even by Gurgaon rainy-day standards. I was wrong.The sky had turned cloudy around 11.30am, but the forecast gave no hint of rain. Then, at 12.45pm, it began. By the time my cab arrived at 1.05pm, the roads outside were already waterlogged.Google Maps put the journey to New Delhi Railway Station at one hour 45 minutes — tight, but doable. That estimate meant nothing once we hit Sohna Road.Traffic barely moved. Instead of falling, the ETA kept climbing.
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