Raipur Division Running 40% More Trains Than Capacity, Leaving Passengers Waiting Hours For Delayed Expresses

Trains like the Amarkantak and Sarnath Express are arriving in Raipur 3 to over 4 hours late, as the division runs nearly 40% more trains than its tracks can handle, leaving passengers stranded for hours at the station.

Passengers arriving at Raipur railway station are facing longer and longer waits, as trains that leave their origin stations only slightly behind schedule end up hours late by the time they roll into the city.

Nearly 40% more trains than the network can handle
The main reason trains are running late through the Raipur division is being linked to overcrowding on the tracks. The division has the capacity to handle around 100 trains, but more than 140 are currently being operated on it, roughly 40% above what the network was built for. That overload is showing up in the running time of almost every express passing through.

Amarkantak Express loses over four hours
The clearest example is the Amarkantak Express. It left Bhopal only 3 minutes behind schedule, but by the time it reached Jabalpur, the delay had stretched to nearly 3 hours. At Anuppur, it was still running roughly 3 hours late. It finally pulled into Raipur at 11:13 am instead of its scheduled 6:55 am, a total delay of 4 hours and 18 minutes.

Sarnath Express also falls behind
The Sarnath Express told a similar story. By the time it reached Anuppur, it was running about 1 hour and 7 minutes late, and that gap widened to nearly 2 hours and 50 minutes by Raipur. Between the Kargi Road and Uslapur stations, the train was held for an extended stretch, adding further to the delay.

Freight trains get priority, passengers pay the price
Alongside passenger trains, a large number of freight trains run on the same stretch of track. Because freight movement is given priority, passenger trains are frequently halted mid-route to let goods trains pass. A delay created at one point on the line keeps compounding at every station further down the route.

Crowded waiting hall, frustrated travellers
On Sunday evening, the AC waiting hall at Raipur station was packed with passengers, many of them repeatedly checking train status updates on their phones. Surendra Babu, travelling on the Korba-Yesvantpur Express, was supposed to reach Raipur at 11:40 am but arrived nearly 8 hours late, at 8:23 pm. Sejo, arriving on the Ahmedabad-Howrah Express, missed an important meeting because of the delay.

Officials say trains arrive late from other divisions too
Sushkar Vipul Bilasrao, senior DCM of the Raipur division, said trains coming in from other divisions are often already running late before they even reach Raipur, and that the division tries to dispatch them onward as quickly as possible. On Sunday, the Tatanagar-Itwari Express arrived 8 hours and 20 minutes late, the Amarkantak and Porbandar Superfast trains were around 3 hours behind, and the Howrah-Mumbai, Puri-Durg and Surat Express trains reached Raipur roughly 2 hours late.

What this means for you
If you're travelling through the Raipur division, build in extra buffer time, because even trains that start out only minutes late can end up hours behind by the time they reach the city.

• Across India: The pattern points to a wider problem of railway divisions running more trains than their tracks can efficiently handle. Passengers on long-distance routes anywhere should track live running status rather than trusting the scheduled arrival time, especially for trains that pass through congested junctions.
• In Raipur/Chhattisgarh: With the division running about 40% more trains than its rated capacity, delays of 3 to 8 hours are becoming routine on routes like Amarkantak, Sarnath, Tatanagar-Itwari and Korba-Yesvantpur. Anyone booking connecting travel, cabs or meetings around a train's scheduled Raipur arrival should add several hours of cushion or confirm the live status before heading to the station.
• Plan around freight priority: Since freight trains are given the right of way, passenger trains can be halted mid-route without warning. Travellers with tight onward connections should avoid scheduling anything time-critical right after a train's expected arrival.
• Use the waiting hall wisely: Stations like Raipur see heavy crowding in AC waiting halls during peak delay hours; arriving passengers should check status apps before leaving home rather than waiting it out at the station.

Questions & Answers

1. How late did the Amarkantak Express leave Bhopal?
It left Bhopal only 3 minutes behind its scheduled time.

2. How late was the Amarkantak Express by the time it reached Raipur?
It arrived at 11:13 am instead of the scheduled 6:55 am, a total delay of 4 hours and 18 minutes.

3. Where was the Sarnath Express held up?
It was held between the Kargi Road and Uslapur stations and ended up nearly 2 hours 50 minutes late by Raipur.

4. What is the main reason trains are running late in the Raipur division?
The division has capacity for about 100 trains but is currently running more than 140, roughly 40% above capacity.

5. What happened to passengers Surendra Babu and Sejo?
Surendra Babu arrived nearly 8 hours late at 8:23 pm, while Sejo missed an important meeting because their train was delayed.

6. What did the Raipur division's senior DCM say about the delays?
Sushkar Vipul Bilasrao said trains from other divisions often arrive already late, and the division tries to dispatch them onward as quickly as possible.

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