These
special trains will accommodate the surge in demand for travel during these
festivals. It’s not the first
time that Indian Railways has taken such a measure. Every year, lakhs of people
travel to their hometowns to celebrate these festivals with their families. It
leads to a huge rush in the need for transportation. In response to this high demand, Indian Railways has decided to
introduce special trains to serve over one crore (10 million) passengers during
this period.
Some of the routes
with highest demand during these festivals are mainly those leading to states
like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal as these destinations are the hubs
for the celebration. Durga Puja, one of the prime Indian festivals, will begin
on October 6, followed by Diwali on November 1, and Chhath Puja on November 7
and 8.
However, the exact
routes, dates, and timings for these trains have not yet been officially
announced. But Indian Railways has already indicated plans to enhance the
travel experience for passengers. Along
with the introduction of these special trains, Railway Minister Ashwini
Vaishnaw has said that the number of general coaches will be increased for 108
regular trains on popular routes.
Minister
Vaishnaw also said that these trains will greatly benefit passengers, with the
extra trains and coaches facilitating the movement of over one crore
travellers. Indian Railways has already announced the deployment of 5,975
special trains for this season. For comparison, last year saw the operation of
4,429 special trains during the festive period, highlighting the increase in
capacity this year.