Ranchi: Indian Railways has issued strict instructions regarding special services known as Train on Demand (TOD). Railway Board has clarified that no TOD train will be announced or operated without prior approval from en-route railways and terminating railway.
According to Railway Board, in several cases TOD trains were operated without mandatory permissions, resulting in delayed departures from originating stations and a rise in passenger complaints. In view of this, all zonal railways have been directed to strictly adhere to laid-down rules.
Railways said crowd movement during festivals, examinations and holiday seasons is largely predictable and planning should therefore be done well in advance. Proposals related to TOD trains must be responded to promptly on COIS to avoid delays in approvals. It has also been instructed that TOD trains should generally not be operated on routes where non-interlocking or other construction work is underway.
Only in emergency situations, where sudden crowd build-up occurs and time is limited, permission may be taken over phone to operate an unreserved train. However, under no circumstances will a reserved TOD train be allowed to run without a no-objection certificate.
Railways has also decided to introduce a new and simplified system for TOD operations. Till now, TOD services were run under different names such as RTOD, clone trains, extra rush and festival specials, which caused difficulties in record keeping and management. Under new arrangement, all existing TOD approvals valid beyond February 28, 2026 will automatically lapse, and fresh approvals will be mandatory for TOD services running from March 1, 2026 onwards.