Amid the IndiGo flight cancellation crisis spiraling into its fourth day, the Railway Ministry on Friday decided to increase 116 coaches in 37 premium trains for the convenience of travellers. The budget carrier's operations crumbled – forcing the cancellation of over 400 flights – leaving thousands stranded.
Airports witnessed chaotic scenes as several IndiGo flights were delayed by over 12 hours, prompting passenger protests and numerous complaints of misplaced baggage.
From Central Railways to Northern Railways, multiple special services have been announced in view of the ongoing flight disruptions.
Trains originating from which stations?
As per Railway Ministry officials, the 37 premium trains with increased coaches would originate from major railway junctions across cities and provide connectivity to several cities:
- New Delhi,
- Mumbai,
- Lucknow,
- Jammu Tawi,
- Patna,
- Howrah,
- Chennai
How long would the trains operate?
Trains with the increased number of coaches would be introduced from the upcoming services of these trains and will continue till the problem persists, reported PTI.
Have coaches been increased for Northern Railway trains?
Earlier, the Northern Railway decided to increase 3AC and Chair Car coaches in four premium trains. Chief Public Relations Officer Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay said additional coaches in the following Northern Railway trains have been added following a surge in passenger demand:
- One 3AC coach each has been added to:
- 12425/26 Jammu Rajdhani Express
- 12424/23 Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express
2. One AC Chair Car coach each has been added to:
- 12045/46 Chandigarh Shatabdi Express
- 12030/29 Amritsar Shatabdi Express
Central Railways announces 6 special trains
Central Railway on Friday announced 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 cancellations across the country.
CR chief public relations officer Swapnil Nila said the special services will operate on:
- Pune-SMVT Bengaluru - 6 December
- Pune-New Delhi - 7 December
- Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Madgaon - 7 December
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus-New Delhi - 6 December
- Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Lucknow - 6 December, and
- Nagpur-CSMT - 6 December
When would IndiGo operations be restored?
Earlier in the day, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers issued a video statement, apologising to customers for the delays and mammoth disruptions. He said that hat the situation is expected to return to normal between December 10 and 15.
In the video clip posted on social media, CEO Elbers also said that cancellations are estimated to be less than 1000 tomorrow, Saturday.
