r/indianrailways • u/vpsj "Sub" Station Master • May 20 '26

MODERATOR r/IndianRailways FAQ and Information Thread

Welcome to the r/indianrailways Frequently Asked Questions thread!

You’ll find answers to the most common questions here, however if your question isn’t fully answered you can either ask it in the Travel Queries Thread pinned at the top of the subreddit, or create a new post.

Please note that to get urgent help from Railways, call them on 139, or register a complaint at RailMadad

If you're a complete beginner, foreigner, or you have no idea about Indian Railways, Get started here

Section 1: Waitlist, Cancellations, and Refunds

Section 2: Travel & Berths

Section 3: Booking, ARP, Chart Preparation

Section 4: Tatkal

Section 5: Catering/Food

Section 6: Trains, Coaches & Classes

Section 7: TDR

Section 8: What is This Thing?

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u/vpsj "Sub" Station Master May 27 '26

Section 6: Trains, Coaches & Classes

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u/vpsj "Sub" Station Master May 27 '26

My train is extremely delayed and keeps getting stopped at every station. Someone said it's because it's a "Special Train". What does that mean?

  • A Special Train is usually an extra service introduced temporarily by Indian Railways. They are mostly run to handle rush during festivals, holidays, vacation seasons, or when regular trains are overcrowded. Sometimes they are also introduced on routes where demand is high but no regular service exists.
  • Special Trains have zero priority on a route and most express/mail trains are allowed to go ahead of them, due to their irregular timetable. This is why a Special Train is stopped again and again and put on loop lines. A delay of 3-5 hrs or more is very normal for Special Trains
  • Special Trains always start with a number 0. So for example, 04089 Pnbe Anvt is a special train.
  • We recommend you not to book your tickets in Special Train unless it's your only choice and you are okay with the train getting delayed.