Mumbai: Central Railway Announces 10 Special Trains For Diwali And Chhath Pooja Festivities To Meet Travel Demand

Mumbai: In response to the high travel demand during the Diwali and Chhath Pooja festivities, Central Railway has announced an additional 10 special trains to help travelers reach destinations such as Danapur, Gorakhpur, and Chhapra.

These trains are scheduled to depart on November 2 and November 3, with five trains leaving on each day. The new trains add to the extensive fleet of festival specials already running between Mumbai and various northern destinations to ease the crowd and meet the seasonal surge.

On November 2, four special trains will depart from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) with three heading to Danapur and one to Gorakhpur, while another special train will depart from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) for Gorakhpur.

Similarly, on November 3, a train from CSMT will head to Gorakhpur, while four other specials will leave LTT for destinations including Kazipet, Gorakhpur, Danapur, and Chhapra.

According to an official, Central Railway has also planned additional services, including eight more trips: six between LTT and Chhapra and two between Panvel and Nanded, to further accommodate travelers during Diwali and Chhath.

Apart from that Western Railway (WR) has also ramped up its services, running 17 special trains on November 1 and another 17 on November 2. In total, WR will operate close to 280 festival special trains to key destinations in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Odisha. WR has also added extra coaches to regular trains where possible, to meet passenger demand.

"This year, Indian Railways has increased its total festival special services to approximately 7,300 trains, nearly double last year’s 4,500, to provide additional travel options during this period of high passenger traffic" said an official.