Indian Railways adds 116 coaches to 37 trains after flight disruptions

With widespread flight cancellations leaving passengers stranded, the Indian Railways stepped in to meet the surge in demand by adding 116 extra coaches across 37 premium trains, covering 114 trips nationwide.

The Southern Railway took the lead, enhancing capacity in 18 trains by adding Chair Car and Sleeper Class coaches, especially on high-demand routes. The Northern Railway followed with additional 3AC and Chair Car coaches on eight busy trains, improving availability on heavily travelled northern corridors.

In the west, the Western Railway strengthened four trains with 3AC and 2AC coaches, catering to passengers travelling to Delhi. The East Central Railway augmented the Rajendra Nagar (Patna)-New Delhi (12309) service with extra 2AC coaches over five trips between 6 and 10 December, easing travel between Bihar and the capital.

The East Coast Railway added 2AC coaches to Bhubaneswar-New Delhi services, while the Eastern Railway deployed extra Sleeper Class coaches on three trains over six trips on 7-8 December to meet regional travel demand. The Northeast Frontier Railway also enhanced two key trains with 3AC and Sleeper coaches across eight trips, ensuring smooth connectivity in the Northeast.

In addition to these enhancements, four special trains were operated to further support passengers:

Several special trains have been scheduled to provide alternate travel options amid ongoing flight disruptions. The Gorakhpur-Anand Vihar Terminal-Gorakhpur Special will operate four trips from 7 to 9 December. The New Delhi-Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan-New Delhi Reserved Vande Bharat Special ran on 6 December, offering fast connectivity to Jammu. Passengers travelling towards western India can use the New Delhi-Mumbai Central-New Delhi Reserved Superfast Special, scheduled for 6 and 7 December. Meanwhile, the Hazrat Nizamuddin-Thiruvananthapuram Central Reserved Superfast Special operated a one-way service on 6 December, facilitating long-distance travel to southern India.

Experts note that these additional services could also boost the Railways’ revenue. By running extra coaches and special trains on high-demand routes during the flight disruptions, the Railways can increase ticket sales across classes such as Sleeper, 3AC, 2AC, Chair Car, and Vande Bharat. Even a single day of added capacity, with higher occupancy, can significantly raise earnings, and a comparison of revenues before and after these augmentations will show the financial impact of the enhanced services.

Early indications suggest the strategy has been effective in managing the surge in demand. Additional coaches and special trains appear to have filled quickly, especially on premium routes, providing stranded passengers with reliable alternatives. While the impact is mainly short-term, these measures demonstrate Railways’ ability to respond quickly to travel disruptions and cater to passenger needs efficiently.

Railway officials said these steps are aimed at easing travel disruptions caused by flight cancellations, ensuring passengers have safe and comfortable alternatives across major corridors.