ECoR reverses decision, not to add coaches to Bhubaneswar-New Delhi special train for now

Hours after announcing that five more coaches would be added to Wednesdays Bhubaneswar- New Delhi AC Special train to meet the high demand for tickets, the East Coast Railway on Tuesday evening said it cannot execute the plan now due to technical reasons.

In a statement shortly after 1 PM, the ECoR said five more coaches - four 3AC and one 2AC will be added to the 17 -coach rake.

However, the railway reversed the decision within hours.

"Due to operational/technical reasons, augmentation of five coaches, earlier announced in Bhubaneswar-New Delhi AC Special, is postponed till further advice. Date of augmentation will be announced at a later date," the ECoR said in another statement around 6.30 PM.

Tickets for the special train were sold out in 30 minutes after online booking commenced through the IRCTC website on Monday evening.

In an advisory, the ECoR asked passengers of the special train to carry own food and linen and reach Bhubaneswar station for screening at least 90 minutes before the train's departure at 10 AM on Wednesday.

The special train will stop at Balasore, Hijli (Kharagpur), Tata, Bokaro Steel City, Gaya, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction and Kanpur Central before reaching New Delhi.

The ECoR said only passengers with confirmed tickets will be allowed go to the platform.

"All passengers will have to clear medical screening before boarding the train. Only asymptomatic passengers shall be permitted to travel," the ECoR official said.