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With the mass cancellation of flights by IndiGo and fares of other airlines skyrocketing, thousands of passengers stranded at airports across the country are heading to nearby railway stations to catch trains to their destinations.
To meet the extra rush of passengers and growing demand for accommodation in air-conditioned coaches, the Indian Railways augmented the capacity of trains across its network.
IndiGo flight cancellations LIVE updates: Read
Going by reports that came in at 7 p.m. on Friday (December 5, 2025), the railways added 116 extra coaches to 37 trains, mostly in Southern Railway, Northern Railway and Western Railway. The coaches included two-tier, three-tier and chair car AC coaches.
More coaches would be added to trains heading to other destinations soon and the temporary arrangements would continue till the issue of flight cancellations was resolved, an official in the Southern Railway said.
On how the passengers reaching railway stations could avail the tickets, the official said the berths would be allotted on a first-come-first serve basis as the reservation for these extra coaches were not acceded to the computerised reservation system yet.
Special trains mooted
Acting on instructions from the Railway Board, Zonal Railways were also exploring the possibility of operating special trains to various destinations.
“The capacity of existing trains is 24 coaches. We can add one or two more but the rake will go beyond the length of the platforms making it difficult for passengers to entrain/detrain. Since there is a perennial demand for accommodation in trains to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Howrah, we are exploring the possibility of running special trains if there is demand from the passengers,” the official said.
Southern Railway alone added additional coaches to 16 express trains, with many to operate till December 11.
Published – December 05, 2025 09:59 pm IST
