Relief for stranded flyers: Railways launch special trains, boost coaches. Check details

Amid an unprecedented spike in passenger demand following widespread flight cancellations by IndiGo, Indian Railways has rolled out an extensive nationwide capacity expansion — augmenting dozens of trains and introducing special services to ensure seamless travel. 

In total, 37 trains have been strengthened with 116 additional coaches across 114 augmented trips, offering significant relief to passengers struggling to find alternative travel options in the wake of aviation disruptions. 

Southern Railway leads capacity boost 

Southern Railway (SR) has carried out the highest number of augmentations, adding extra Chair Car and Sleeper Class coaches to 18 trains. Implemented from 6 December 2025, this expansion sharply increases accommodation capacity on high-demand southern routes, which have seen a heavy rush following mass flight cancellations. 

Northern & Western corridors strengthened 

Northern Railway (NR) has augmented capacity on eight trains, deploying 3AC and Chair Car coaches starting today to accommodate rising traffic across key north-bound corridors. 

Western Railway (WR) has added premium 3AC and 2AC coaches to four major trains from 6 December, catering especially to strong passenger flows between western states and the national capital. 

Enhanced connectivity for Bihar, Odisha, East & Northeast 

• East Central Railway (ECR) has reinforced the crucial Rajendra Nagar–New Delhi (12309) route with additional 2AC coaches over five trips from 6–10 December, addressing surging demand between Bihar and Delhi. 
• East Coast Railway (ECOR) has added 2AC coaches to Bhubaneswar–New Delhi services (20817/20811/20823) across five trips, offering improved capacity for Odisha-bound travellers. 
• Eastern Railway (ER) has deployed extra Sleeper Class coaches on three key trains over six trips between 7–8 December to meet growing regional and inter-state demand. 
• Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has boosted two important trains with Sleeper and 3AC coaches across eight trips each from 6–13 December, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity for Northeast passengers. 

Special trains rolled out to ease congestion 

To further support passengers during this high-demand period, Indian Railways is operating four special services: 

• Gorakhpur-Anand Vihar Terminal-Gorakhpur Special (05591/05592): Four trips from December 7-9. 
• New Delhi-Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan-New Delhi Vande Bharat Reserved Special (02439/02440): Operating on December 6, providing swift connectivity to Jammu. 
• New Delhi-Mumbai Central-New Delhi Reserved Superfast Special (04002/04001): To run on December 6 and 7, addressing massive demand on the Delhi-Mumbai sector. 
• Hazrat Nizamuddin-Thiruvananthapuram Central Reserved Superfast Special (04080): One-way service on December 6, offering long-distance connectivity towards the south. 

Railways step in as reliable alternative  

The sweeping set of measures — spanning additional coaches, augmented trips across railway zones, and the deployment of special trains — highlights Indian Railways’ rapid response and preparedness to handle sudden surges in passenger volume. 

At a time when thousands of travellers have been left stranded due to aviation disruptions, the Railways' swift capacity scaling aims to ensure that passengers continue to have timely, dependable, and adequately available transport options across the country.