The longest waiting of 150 has been recorded for Unchahar Express, running between Chandigarh and Allahabad.

In response to the increase in bookings, the Ambala Division has added additional coaches in Sadhbhavna Express, running between Chandigarh and Lucknow, this month onwards. Nonetheless, there are no berths available before May 5.

“The division would be adding extra coaches to other trains as well to meet summer traffic,” said Divisional Railway Manager H K Jaggi.

“I wanted to get a ticket booked for Mumbai, but there is none available before a month. I have to opt for a flight now, which would result in an unwanted increase in my vacation budget,” said Rupali Malhotra, a banker from Chandigarh.

Station Superintendent R K Datta said: “No tickets are available for Paschim Express running between Chandigarh and Bandra till the third week of May. Also, the waiting list for Kerala Sampark Kranti Express running between Chandigarh and Kerala is increasing every day.”

Cashing in on the summer rush, low-budget carrier MDLR airlines will soon introduce flights to hill stations, while other airlines is also expected to follow suit.

According to MDLR officials, flights to destinations like Dharamshala, Dehradun and Shimla will be introduced from May. Demand for the recently introduced Kingfisher Airlines flights from Chandigarh to Jammu and Srinagar have also picked up considerably.

“Flights from Chandigarh to Srinagar are getting booked faster than those to Jammu. For a 66-seater plane, occupancy usually hovers around 45, which has gone up in recent days. Chandigarh-Delhi evening flights are going full,” said Gurpreet Kaur, Kingfisher Supervisor (Reservations).