Railways adds 116 coaches to 37 trains after IndiGo flight disruptions

In a swift response to the surge of travellers stranded by widespread IndiGo flight cancellations, the Indian Railways has launched an ambitious expansion of its services, adding 116 extra coaches across 37 premium trains on 114 enhanced trips, ensuring smoother journeys across the length and breadth of the country.

According to a statement from the railway ministry, the Southern Railway has spearheaded the augmentations, bolstering 18 high-demand trains with extra chair car and sleeper class coaches. “These reinforcements, effective from 6 December 2025 onward, substantially expand passenger capacity in the southern corridors, ensuring travellers experience comfort even amid peak demand,” the ministry noted.

In the north, the Northern Railway follows suit, adding 3AC and chair car coaches to eight of its busiest trains, enhancing availability on heavily travelled corridors connecting the capital with neighbouring regions. Meanwhile, the Western Railway has strengthened four key services by introducing additional 3AC and 2AC coaches, easing the flow of passengers from western states toward Delhi.

The East Central Railway has augmented the Rajendra Nagar–New Delhi (12309) service with extra 2AC coaches over five trips between 6 and 10 December, catering to the heavy traffic between Bihar and the national capital. Similarly, the East Coast Railway has enhanced Bhubaneswar–New Delhi services (20817/20811/20823) by adding 2AC coaches across five trips, elevating connectivity between Odisha and Delhi.

In the eastern regions, the Eastern Railway has strengthened three key trains with additional Sleeper Class coaches over six trips on 7 and 8 December, accommodating the heightened regional and inter-state travel. Farther northeast, the Northeast Frontier Railway has augmented two vital trains with 3AC and Sleeper coaches over eight trips each, ensuring uninterrupted journeys for passengers navigating the region’s vital arteries.

Beyond these expansions, the Indian Railways is also operating four special train services to further ease passenger movement. Among them:

• The Gorakhpur–Anand Vihar Terminal–Gorakhpur Special (05591/05592), running four trips from December 7–9.

• The New Delhi–Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan–New Delhi Reserved Vande Bharat Special (02439/02440), operating on December 6, offering swift, comfortable connectivity to the Jammu region.

• The New Delhi–Mumbai Central–New Delhi Reserved Superfast Special (04002/04001), serving high-demand western routes on December 6 and 7.

• The Hazrat Nizamuddin–Thiruvananthapuram Central Reserved Superfast Special (04080), running one-way on 6 December to facilitate long-distance southern travel.

With these thoughtful augmentations and specially commissioned services, the Indian Railways seeks not only to meet burgeoning travel demand but also to ensure that every journey is imbued with ease, comfort, and reliability — a testament to its enduring commitment to the millions of passengers crisscrossing the nation.

With PTI inputs