In a major move to help travellers hit by widespread flight cancellations and winter-season demand, Indian Railways has announced that 89 special train services, more than 100 trips, will run across multiple zones over the next three days starting Saturday.
The additional trains come as a response to a sharp rise in rail travel demand, triggered both by flight disruptions and the season, a time when many plan winter journeys. The special services will help ensure adequate connectivity and relieve pressure on stranded or inconvenienced air passengers.
Under the plan, several railway zones are deploying extra trains:
-
Central Railway has scheduled 14 “Train-on-Demand” services to ease congestion on long-distance routes, including Pune–Bengaluru, Pune–Hazrat Nizamuddin (Delhi), LTT–Madgaon, LTT–Lucknow, Nagpur–Mumbai CSMT, Gorakhpur–Mumbai, and Bilaspur–Mumbai.
-
South Eastern Railway, South Central Railway, Eastern Railway, Western Railway, North Western Railway, North Central Railway, and Northern Railway are also involved, running trains from major hubs such as Howrah, Sealdah, Hyderabad, Patna, Darbhanga, Prayagraj, New Delhi, Mumbai, and other destinations to meet rising travel needs.
Railway officials said that the arrangement was put together quickly after assessing the surge in demand from cities that saw significant numbers of cancelled flights. They also stressed that the number of special services might be increased further depending on evolving demand over the coming days.
This initiative comes amid mass cancellations by IndiGo flights that have left many travellers stranded. As air alternatives remain uncertain, the extra trains from Indian Railways offer passengers a vital fallback option and hope of reaching their destinations on time.
