In anticipation of the festive season, the North Indian Railways has announced the introduction of 34 special trains to accommodate the surge in travellers during Diwali and Chhath Puja.
These special trains will operate between October 18 and December 11, with 26 of them connecting to the northern regions and the remaining 8 linking to destinations in the eastern part of the country.
The move comes as a response to the increasing demand for train travel during the festive season. The North Indian Railways will also add extra coaches to 69 existing trains to provide a total of 5.5 lakh additional seats.
"These special trains, along with the added coaches, are essential to meet the rising demands during this festive season.
We will closely monitor the situation, and if necessary, consider running more special trains," said Shobhan Chaudhuri, General Manager of North Indian Railways.
The 34 special trains will connect major cities and destinations such as Delhi, New Delhi, Anand Vihar, Patna, Chapra, Jogbani, Saharsa, Kolkata, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Amritsar, Jaynagar, Katihar, Guwahati, Darbhanga, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Barauni, Raxaul, Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Lucknow, Saharanpur, and Ambala.
The North Indian Railways has advised potential travellers to gather information about these special trains through its official social media handles and inquiry offices.
The additional arrangements are made due to the growing demand for train travel during the festive season.
"We believe that these measures will be sufficient to accommodate the increased demand.
In addition to operating special trains, we have also decided to open additional ticket counters to reduce long queues and activate all the available windows," added Chaudhuri.
