Amid the IndiGo flight cancellation crisis that has dragged into the fourth day, the Railway Ministry on Friday decided to increase 116 coaches in 37 premium trains for the convenience of passengers. The budget carrier’s operations fell apart – forcing the cancellation of more than 400 flights – leaving thousands stranded.
The airport witnessed chaotic scenes as several IndiGo flights were delayed by more than 12 hours, sparking protests by passengers and numerous complaints of misplaced luggage.
From Central Railways to Northern Railways, several special services have been announced in view of the continued disruption of flights.
Trains leaving from which stations?
According to Railway Ministry officials, the 37 premium trains with more number of coaches would originate from major cross-city railway hubs and provide connectivity to several cities:
- New Delhi,
- Bombay,
- Lucknow,
- Jammu Tawi,
- Patna,
- Howrah,
- Chennai
How long would the trains run?
Trains with increased number of coaches will be introduced from the upcoming services of these trains and will continue until the problem persists, PTI reported.
Have the carriages for Northern Railway trains been increased?
Earlier, the Northern Railway decided to increase the number of 3AC and Chair Car cars in four premium trains. Chief Public Relations Officer Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay said that additional coaches have been added in the following Northern Railway trains following a surge in passenger demand:
- Every 3AC trainer has been added to:
- 12425/26 Jammu Rajdhani Express
- 12424/23 Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express
2. Each AC Chair coach has been added to:
- 12045/46 Chandigarh Shatabdi Express
- 12030/29 Amritsar Shatabdi Express
Central railways announce 6 special trains
The Central Railway on Friday announced that it will run six special trains on key long-distance routes on December 6 and 7 to clear the extra rush of passengers due to widespread flight disruptions across the country.
Director of Public Relations of the Czech Republic Swapnil Nila stated that the special services will operate on:
- Pune-SMVT Bengaluru – 6th December
- Pune-New Delhi – 7 December
- Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Madgaon – 7th December
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus – New Delhi – 6th December
- Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Lucknow – 6th December a
- Nagpur-CSMT – 6th December
When will IndiGo operations resume?
Earlier in the day, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers released a video statement apologizing to customers for the delays and mammoth outages. He said the situation is expected to return to normal between December 10 and 15.
In a video clip posted on social media, CEO Elbers also said the number of cancellations is expected to be less than 1,000 tomorrow, Saturday.
