By Nityanjali Bulsu
The Indian Railways on Saturday announced a major nationwide response to the ongoing travel chaos triggered by mass IndiGo flight cancellations, rolling out 84 special trains that will make 104 trips to support stranded passengers across key cities.
According to the Railway Ministry, these additional services were arranged “in the shortest possible time” after officials assessed the sharp rise in passenger load at major transport hubs, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Patna, and Howrah. Railway officials also indicated that the number of special trains could increase further if demand continues to surge.
Dilip Kumar, Executive Director (Information & Publicity) at the Railway Board, said, “All zones have been instructed to utilise every available resource, rolling stock and manpower to safely operate these trains for the convenience of passengers hit by the cancellations.”
In an unusual step, railway divisions have begun coordinating directly with airports to reach stranded flyers. These special services were publicised as part of the partnership between the Airport Authority and the South Eastern Railway. Several other zones have also issued alerts and circulated the fresh travel information at all terminals.
The Western Railway announced special trains that would operate on routes such as Mumbai Central–Bhiwani, Mumbai Central–Shakur Basti, Valsad–Bilaspur, Bandra Terminus–Durgapura, Mumbai Central–New Delhi, Sabarmati–Delhi, and Sabarmati–Delhi Sarai Rohilla.
The South Central Railway has also announced the fresh addition of four special trains to take and handle the sudden rise in the number of commuters. The Central and Northern railway has planned 14 and 10 services, with more under certain circumstances, like too many crowds.
For about five days in a row, hundreds of delays and cancellations have occurred due to issues with the leading Indian aircraft, IndiGo. Their operations have been down, causing severe duress and stress to commuters. These troubles have left the passengers looking for other transport options, prompting railways to step in as a backup for this transport trouble. Passengers are requested to keep checking updated schedules and new announcements.