IndiGo crisis: Indian Railways adds 116 extra coaches to 37 trains, including Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani

In view of the widespread flight cancellations caused by the ongoing IndiGo operational crisis, the Indian Railways has announced extensive measures to ensure smooth travel and adequate accommodation for passengers across the country.

The move comes as travellers, particularly on high-demand routes, face significant disruptions following the grounding of multiple flights in recent days.

Surge in Passenger Demand

Passenger demand on several routes, especially the Ahmedabad–Delhi corridor, has surged sharply after the sudden flight cancellations, stated a release from the Press Information Bureau.

According to official sources, a total of 37 trains nationwide have been augmented with 116 additional coaches, providing over 114 enhanced trips across various routes. Premium trains, including Rajdhani and Tejas Express, have also been fitted with additional coaches to manage the load.

“I was supposed to get on a connecting flight to Indore yesterday. But, IndiGo cancelled it and did not offer any accommodation facilities either. I was forced to book a hotel in Bhubaneswar and will now be travelling by train. A journey of 2 hours has now become one of 50 hours,” complained one passenger on the Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express.

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Zone-Wise Capacity Augmentation

As per PIB, Southern Railway (SR) has implemented the highest number of augmentations, enhancing 18 trains with additional Chair Car and Sleeper Class coaches. These changes, effective from December 6, aim to expand capacity on heavily travelled southern corridors.

Northern Railway (NR) followed by augmenting eight trains with 3AC and Chair Car coaches, addressing the increased demand in northern regions. Similarly, Western Railway (WR) added 3AC and 2AC coaches to four high-demand trains, including the immediate launch of the Sabarmati–Delhi superfast special.

East Central Railway (ECR) strengthened the Rajendra Nagar–New Delhi (12309) service with an additional 2AC coaches across five trips between December 6–10, ensuring greater capacity for travellers between Bihar and the national capital.

East Coast Railway (ECOR) augmented Bhubaneswar–New Delhi services (Trains 20817/20811/20823) with extra 2AC coaches, improving connectivity from Odisha.

Eastern Railway (ER) has increased Sleeper Class coaches on three key trains over six trips on December 7–8, meeting regional and inter-state demand in the eastern states. Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) added 3AC and Sleeper coaches to two important trains across eight trips from December 6–13, providing uninterrupted capacity for passengers in the Northeast.

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Operation of Special Trains

In addition to augmenting existing trains, Indian Railways is running four special train services to further ease travel:

• Gorakhpur–Anand Vihar Terminal–Gorakhpur Special (05591/05592): Four trips between December 7–9.
• New Delhi–Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan–New Delhi Vande Bharat Special (02439/02440): One trip on December 6, offering fast connectivity to Jammu.
• New Delhi–Mumbai Central–New Delhi Reserved Superfast Special (04002/04001): Two trips on December 6–7 to meet western sector demand.
• Hazrat Nizamuddin–Thiruvananthapuram Central Reserved Superfast Special (04080): One-way service on December 6 for long-distance southern travel.