Southern Railway deploys special trains, extra coaches amid IndiGo flight crisis

Southern Railway has announced special trains and temporary coach augmentations across Tamil Nadu and Kerala to support passengers affected by widespread IndiGo flight cancellations. The measures, part of a nationwide rail initiative, include additional services and over 116 extra coaches deployed on high-demand routes.

Chennai: In a major relief to air travellers affected by widespread IndiGo flight cancellations, Southern Railway has announced the operation of special trains and temporary augmentation of coaches on several high-demand services across Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

According to an official statement, three pairs of special express trains will be operated on December 7 and 8 to accommodate the sudden surge in passenger demand.

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The Coimbatore-Dr MGR Chennai Central-Coimbatore Express Specials (Nos. 06024/06023) will run via Tirupur, Erode and Salem on both days. Similarly, the Thiruvananthapuram North-Chennai Egmore-Thiruvananthapuram North Express Specials (Nos. 06108/06107) will also be operated on December 7 and 8 via Podanur, Tirupur, Erode and Salem.

In addition, the Nagercoil-Tambaram-Nagercoil Superfast Specials (Nos. 06012/06011) will run on the same dates via Madurai, Dindigul and Tiruchirappalli.

These arrangements form part of a nationwide rail augmentation initiative following large-scale flight disruptions by IndiGo.

As per a press release from the Railway Ministry, a total of 37 trains across the country have been strengthened with 116 additional coaches, resulting in over 114 augmented trips. Extra chair car and sleeper class coaches have been deployed on routes witnessing exceptionally high passenger demand.

The temporary augmentation came into effect from Saturday and will remain in force till December 10 for most services, while a few trains will carry additional coaches till December 12. In line with this directive, Southern Railway will add one AC three-tier coach each to the Thiruvananthapuram Central-Dr MGR Chennai Central Superfast Express (No. 12696) and the Mumbai CST-Chennai Beach Superfast Express (No. 22157) on Sunday (December 7).

The Jodhpur-Tiruchirappalli Humsafar Express (No. 20481) will receive one additional AC three-tier coach on December 10. Further, the Dr MGR Chennai Central-Coimbatore Shatabdi Express (No. 12243), beginning its journey on December 7, will be temporarily provided with one extra chair car coach.

Its return service, the Coimbatore-Dr MGR Chennai Central Shatabdi Express (No. 12244), will also run with an additional chair car. Additionally, three trains starting on December 7 — the Salem-Chennai Egmore Express (No. 22154), the Erode-Dr MGR Chennai Central Yercaud Superfast Express (No. 22650), and the Alappuzha-Dr MGR Chennai Central Superfast Express (No. 22640) — will each be augmented with one additional sleeper class coach.

Railway officials said these measures aim to ensure uninterrupted passenger movement and reduce travel hardships caused by the sudden disruption in air services.