08 October,2024 01:08 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Representational Pic/File
The Western Railway on Tuesday said that it will run more than 100 special trains for upcoming festivals including Diwali, Durga Puja and Chhath Puja.
In an official statement, the Western Railway said that the Indian Railways is set to operate 6556 special trains to facilitate smooth travel for passengers during Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath Puja from 1st October to 30th November, 2024 this year as on 6th October, 2024.
It said that the special trains are run every year during festivals and this year, the number of trains has been significantly increased to accommodate the surge in travelers. Out of these, WR is running 2130 trips with 102 festival special trains, which is still the highest over the entire Indian Railways.
The statement said that it is noteworthy that during Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath festivals, millions of passengers travel across the country. To provide them with a smooth and comfortable journey, Indian Railways has prepared to run these special trains again this year. Over the next two months, these special trains will ensure passengers reach their destinations seamlessly.
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Last year, Indian Railways ran an impressive total of 4429 festival special trains, ensuring a comfortable travel experience for millions of passengers.
Every year, a large number of people from all over the country travel to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath Puja.
Due to the heavy rush of passengers during the festive season, most trains see their tickets go on the waiting list two to three months in advance. To address this, Indian Railways is once again operating special trains during the festival season this year, the Western Railway said.
According to a press release issued by Vineet Abhishek - Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, this year, WR has notified 106 special trains with total of 2315 trips from October 2024 to December 2024, to meet the increased travel demand during the festive season. These trains are being run for destinations in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, North India, West Bengal, North East, etc. 14 pairs of special trains are being run by Western Railway from Mumbai to various parts of the country.
To cater to the huge demand of passengers from Surat/ Udhna, Vapi, Valsad 14 pairs of originating special trains are being run while 21 pairs of trains are passing through Surat/ Udhna or Bhestan. Similarly, special trains are being run from other stations in Gujarat such as Vapi, Valsad, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Sabarmati, Hapa, Okha, Rajkot, Bhavnagar Terminus, etc as well as from Indore, Dr. Ambedkar Nagar, Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, it said.