Kolkata, Dec. 7 -- With IndiGo's services disrupted for five consecutive days, prompting widespread cancellations and delays across airports, Eastern Railway (ER) and South Eastern Railway (SER) have introduced a series of special trains on major routes to manage the rise in passenger movement.

ER operated a Howrah-New Delhi special (03009) that left Howrah at 11 pm on December 6, a New Delhi-Howrah special (04460) that departed New Delhi at 6.15 pm, and a Sealdah-Lokmanya Tilak special (03127) that left Sealdah at 11.10 pm the same day.

More trips are lined up. The New Delhi-Howrah special (03010) will leave New Delhi at 7.30 am on December 8, while the Howrah-New Delhi special (04459) will depart Howrah at 1.30 am that day. Train 03128, the Lokmanya Tilak-Sealdah special, will leave Lokmanya Tilak at 6.30 am on December 9. ER said Train 03009 will run again on December 8 at 11 pm, with its return, 03010, scheduled from New Delhi on December 10 at 7.30 am. Another New Delhi-Howrah pair, 04462 and 04461, is also set to run again. Train 03127 will operate from Sealdah on December 8 at 11.10 pm, and its return, 03128, will leave Lokmanya Tilak on December 11 at 6.30 am.

A one-way Howrah-Jodhpur special (04808) will depart Howrah at 11 pm on December 9. ER has also announced a Kamakhya-Kolkata special leaving Kamakhya at 5.40 am on December 8, and the return (05695) will leave Kolkata at 2.30 am on December 9. Tickets for these services can be booked online and at PRS counters.

SER has issued a separate schedule in response to the flight disruptions. The Santragachi-Yelahanka special (08073) left Santragachi on December 7 at 2.45 pm, and its return, 08074, will leave Yelahanka on December 9

at 4.45 am. The Howrah-CSMT Mumbai special (02870) left Howrah on December 6 at 1.55 pm, with the return, 02869, scheduled to leave CSMT Mumbai on December 8 at 11.05 am. The Cherlapalli-Shalimar

special (07148) left Cherlapalli on December 6 at 9.35 pm, and its return, 07149, will leave Shalimar on December 8 at 12.10 pm. Railway authorities said the specials have been arranged to absorb the sudden passenger load caused by the airline disruptions.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.