Railways Runs Special Trains For NEET Retest, But Return Journey Is Before Exam

The railways has said it would run special trains in Madhya Pradesh to cater to the additional passenger rush in view of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG 2026) retest on Sunday.

According to the official announcement, the Indore-Bhopal special train was scheduled to depart from Indore at 11:25 AM on Saturday and reach Bhopal at 7:00 PM, with stops at Fatehabad, Badnagar, Ratlam, Nagda, Ujjain, Maksi, Shujalpur, Sehore and Sant Hirdaram Nagar.

However, the train will then leave Bhopal at 7:40 PM the same day and reach Ratlam about five hours later, even before the NEET candidates appear for the exam, scheduled from 2 pm to 5:15 pm on Sunday.

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The train may help some candidates reach Bhopal a day before the examination, but there appears to be no corresponding special arrangement for their return journey once the exam is over.

A senior official, Saurabh Kataria, said the special train is being operated to handle the expected rush of passengers, especially NEET candidates and their parents, and to facilitate their travel. But the timing of the return train has triggered questions over whether the arrangement has truly been planned around the needs of students.

Another concern for the NEET aspirants and their families is the fare. For the Indore-Bhopal special train, the sleeper class fare is Rs 350. On the same route, regular trains charge much less. The Jodhpur-Bhopal Express charges around Rs 150 for sleeper class, while the Malwa Express charges around Rs 180. A candidate travelling from Ujjain to Bhopal on this special train may therefore end up paying more than double the regular sleeper fare.

Even candidates boarding from intermediate stations such as Badnagar, Ratlam, Nagda, Ujjain, Maksi or Sehore must pay the full Indore-Bhopal sleeper fare of Rs 350. On the return leg from Bhopal to Ratlam, the minimum sleeper fare is Rs 295.

Towns such as Neemuch, Mandsaur, Jaora, Pipliya Mandi and Malhargarh are also within Madhya Pradesh, yet there appears to be no direct special train arrangement for candidates from these places to reach exam centres like Bhopal. Several candidates from these areas will have to depend on connecting trains, buses or private transport.

When NDTV asked the railways about the arrangement, the officials said the Ratlam Division had operated the trains based on coach availability.

At Indore and Ratlam railway stations, NDTV met several students and parents preparing for the journey. Most were reluctant to speak on camera, visibly weighed down by exam pressure.

For them, this re-exam is already a second chance forced by circumstances beyond their control. The travel plan has now added another layer of anxiety.

In Bhopal, the number of candidates appearing for the re-NEET has also dropped. Earlier, 14,334 candidates had appeared for the exam in the city. This time, the number has come down to 13,774, a decline of 560 candidates. The number of examination centres has also been reduced from 33 to 32.

Lakhs of students are appearing for the NEET (UG) 2026 re-test after the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the exam held on May 3 amid allegations of a paper leak, with the government asking the CBI to carry out a comprehensive inquiry into the irregularities.