Visakhapatnam-Bengaluru special trains announced amid IndiGo flight disruptions

Visakhapatnam: With IndiGo facing days of mass flight cancellations, the Waltair Division of the East Coast Railway (ECoR) has introduced special trains to assist stranded passengers and handle the sudden surge in travel demand.

Of the six special trains planned, one will leave Visakhapatnam for SMVT Bengaluru on December 8, with the return service scheduled to reach the city on December 9.

ECoR official Deepak Rout told PTI that ticket demand has increased sharply due to the flight crisis. “Many passengers are stranded because of the cancellations. To manage the rush, we have launched special trains,” he said.

He added that the railway zone is monitoring demand closely and may add extra coaches to regular services. More special trains will be arranged in coordination with other zones if needed. The disruption, he noted, is likely to continue for another 10 to 15 days.

IndiGo’s operations have been severely affected for five consecutive days, resulting in widespread delays, cancellations and instances of misplaced baggage. The civil aviation ministry has directed the airline to set up dedicated help desks for passenger support and refunds.

The ministry has also instructed IndiGo to ensure all separated or misplaced baggage is traced and delivered within 48 hours. Refunds for all cancelled or disrupted flights must be processed by 8 pm on Sunday, it said.

(with inputs from agencies)