Honeymoon coach: Railways responds to viral video of First AC cabin decorated with balloons, flowers — 'Serious lapse'

South Central Railway on Wednesday suspended a staff member and ordered a departmental inquiry after a viral video showed a First AC cabin on the Nandigram Express decorated with balloons, flowers and rose petals, earning it the nickname "honeymoon coach". The railway said the decoration was carried out through an unauthorised entry by a private decorator, calling it a "serious lapse".

South Central Railway issued a statement on X regarding the Nandigram Express First AC train coach. “A couple travelling in Train No. 11002 Nandigram Express on 6th July, 2026 had privately engaged a decorator online to decorate their 1st AC coupe. The decorator's entry into the coach at Jalna station was unauthorized and is viewed as a serious lapse,” the statement said, calling it a violation.

Asserting that strict action has been taken in the case, it added, “The concerned staff member has been placed under suspension, and a detailed departmental inquiry has been ordered. Appropriate action will be taken based on the inquiry findings.”

As per an NDTV report, Chief Ticket Inspector Girish Kumar was on duty at the time.

Central Railway further said that the decorator has been booked under the extant provisions of the Railway Act for unauthorised entry into the train, travelling without a ticket and trespassing.

How did Maharashtra-based decorator transform train coach into romantic setting

The video circulating on social media shows a First AC cabin of train number 110002 transformed into a romantic setting while the train was in service. Adorned with balloons, floral arrangements and thousands of rose petals, the cabin displayed an "I Love You" message on the folded upper berth.

The video originally shared by Maharashtra-based Rahat Room Decoration starts with a shot of the train's exterior on a platform, with an open door. The organisers behind the setup said the cabin had been booked for a newlywed couple from Jalna.

According to the Jalna-based event decoration service provider, the couple travelled by car from Aurangabad to Jalna railway station while their team decorated the train compartment in advance. The couple later boarded the Chennai-bound train at Jalna station.

The entrance to the coupe was adorned with a pink beaded curtain featuring heart-shaped cutouts, while the ceiling was covered with numerous red-and-white balloons. The romantic setting featured a thickly carpeted floor strewn with red rose petals, bouquets of colourful flowers (including roses, marigolds and tuberose), garlands arranged on the walls near the windows and some LED lights.

The lower berth had a heart-shaped floral arrangement on a neatly made bed with white linen. The poster has deleted the original video posted on Instagram. However, it has been reshared across various social media platforms.