IndiGo meltdown: Railways adds 116 coaches in 37 trains to accommodate more passengers

Amid the widespread cancellations of flights across the country, the Indian Railways has stepped up to accommodate additional passengers to help them reach their destinations. The railways have expanded their capacity, deploying 166 additional coaches in 37 of their premium trains and covering over 114 trips nationwide. The Railway Ministry said in a statement that the Southern Railway (SR) has the largest number of augmentations, with increasing seating and sleeper capacity in 18 trains running in the region.

“Additional Chair Car and Sleeper Class coaches have been deployed on high-demand routes. These augmentations, implemented from December 6 onwards, substantially expand accommodation capacity in the southern region,” the ministry said in the statement.

It added, “Northern Railway (NR) follows with augmentations on eight trains, adding 3AC and Chair Car coaches. These measures implemented today onwards enhance availability on heavily travelled northern corridors.”

The ministry stated that Western Railway (WR) has augmented four high-demand trains by adding 3AC and 2AC coaches. While the East Central Railway (ECR) has strengthened the Rajendra Nagar–New Delhi (12309) service with additional 2AC coaches till December 10.

The East Coast Railway (ECOR) has added 2AC coaches to Bhubaneswar–New Delhi services, Eastern Railway (ER) added Sleeper Class coaches for three trains, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) augmented two trains with 3AC and Sleeper coaches for the coming days.

The railways also announced operating four special train services. The Gorakhpur – Anand Vihar Terminal – Gorakhpur Special (05591/05592) will operate between December 7 and December 9, while New Delhi – Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan – New Delhi Reserved Vande Bharat Special (02439/02440) will run on December 6.

The statement added, “To meet high demand towards the western sector, the New Delhi – Mumbai Central – New Delhi Reserved Superfast Special (04002/04001) will operate on 06 and 07 December 2025. Additionally, the Hazrat Nizamuddin – Thiruvananthapuram Central Reserved Superfast Special (04080) will run one-way on 06 December 2025, offering long-distance connectivity towards the southern region.”

“These steps, involving capacity augmentation across zones and the operation of special trains, reflect Indian Railways’ commitment to easing passenger travel, ensuring adequate accommodation, and providing timely transport options during this period of increased demand,” the statement added.