Indian Railways Expands Capacity with Special Trains Amid IndiGo Disruptions
Railways Introduce Special Services to Alleviate Passenger Pressure
On Saturday, Indian Railways announced the launch of special trains on key corridors and the addition of extra AC coaches to long-distance services, aiming to ease the burden on travelers seeking alternative options following several days of disruptions by IndiGo. Railway officials indicated that special trains have been initiated by the Central, Western, North Western, and Eastern Railways, with more services expected to commence as additional rakes become available.
Key Routes with Special Train Services
The special services are operational on major routes including Pune-Bengaluru, Pune-Delhi, Mumbai-New Delhi, Mumbai-Goa, Lucknow-Mumbai, Nagpur-Mumbai, and Gorakhpur-Mumbai. Additionally, the Eastern Railway has announced a special train from Howrah to New Delhi, scheduled to depart on December 6 and return on December 8. On the western coast, a reserved Mumbai-Madgaon special train will run on December 7 to accommodate holiday and weekend travelers, with a return journey planned for the following day. Officials noted that these services are being continuously added based on real-time demand assessments.
Enhancements to Existing Routes
In conjunction with the new trains, the railway has strengthened capacity on existing interstate routes by adding extra AC coaches to popular services such as the Bengaluru-Agartala Humsafar Express, Mangaluru-Thiruvananthapuram Express, Bengaluru-Chennai Express, and the Mumbai-Mangaluru sector. A total of 116 coaches have been added across 37 trains in various zones, increasing passenger capacity by accommodating approximately 4.9 lakh travelers.
Increase in Premium Train Services
The Northern Railway has also increased the number of premium trains, adding 3AC coaches to Jammu and Dibrugarh Rajdhani services, as well as additional chair cars to Chandigarh and Amritsar Shatabdi trains. According to officials, the network is currently managing an additional 35,000 passengers daily and is expected to serve around 2.6 million travelers during this period of aviation instability.