Amid a deepening operational crisis at IndiGo, which has led to the cancellation of over 400 domestic flights in the last five days, the Indian Railways has swiftly stepped in to provide relief to stranded passengers across the country.
The Ministry of Railways announced that it has augmented capacity by deploying 116 additional coaches across 37 premium trains, covering 114 enhanced trips nationwide, effective from December 6, 2025, onwards.
The Airline Crisis: Pilot Shortage Drives Cancellations
India’s largest airline, IndiGo, has been facing an unprecedented operational meltdown, primarily attributed to an unexpected shortage of pilots stemming from inadequate planning for the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms implemented by the DGCA.
With a daily operation of approximately 2,300 flights, IndiGo’s punctuality has drastically declined, resulting in scenes of “total disarray” at major airports across the country as thousands of domestic passengers voiced frustration over persistent delays and cancellations.
Railways’ Massive Capacity Augmentation
Recognizing the surge in passenger demand, the Indian Railways acted decisively to ease the pressure on air travel routes. The augmentations include the deployment of additional Chair Car, Sleeper Class, 3AC, and 2AC coaches on high-demand routes.
- Southern Railway recorded the highest number of augmentations, increasing capacity on 18 trains.
- Northern Railway (NR) followed by augmenting eight trains, focusing on the heavily traveled northern corridors.
- Western Railway strengthened four high-demand trains, improving connectivity from western states to the national capital.
- East Central Railway and East Coast Railway enhanced services on crucial routes connecting Bihar and Odisha to New Delhi.
Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information and Publicity (EDIP) for the Indian Railway Board, confirmed, “Considering the rush of passengers, Indian Railways has decided to add extra coaches to several trains. So far, 116 extra coaches are planned to be added to 37 trains, and work is underway accordingly.”
Special Trains Introduced
In addition to augmenting existing trains, the Railways has introduced four special train services to further assist travelers, including:
- The Gorakhpur–Anand Vihar Terminal–Gorakhpur Special (operating four trips between December 7 and 9).
- The New Delhi–Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan–New Delhi Reserved Vande Bharat Special (running on December 6, offering fast connectivity to the Jammu region).
- The New Delhi–Mumbai Central–New Delhi Reserved Superfast Special (operating on December 6 and 7).
The massive capacity boost by the Railways aims to stabilize travel options and accommodate the rush of travelers left stranded by the airline crisis, which is expected to persist for several more days.