The Ministry of Railways has decided to run 20 pairs of clone special trains from September 21 in the wake of the huge demand for travel on specific routes.
These trains will run in addition to special trains which are already in operation and will be operationalised on the routes having high patronage and demand. The reservation for these trains will start on September 19.
"Considering the huge demand for travel on specific routes, the Ministry of Railways has decided to run 20 pairs of clone special trains from September 21, 2020. These clone trains will run on notified timings and will be fully reserved trains. The stoppages shall be limited to operational halts," read the release by the Ministry of Railways.
The 19 pairs of clone special trains will run by utilising Humsafar rakes. One pair 04251/04252 Lucknow-Delhi clone special shall run as Jan Shatabdi Express.
The fare of Humsafar rake will be charged as Humsafar trains and for Janshatabdi rake, the fare will be charged as Janshatabdi Express. The advance reservation period will be 10 days, stated the release.
"Clone trains have not been operated by the Indian Railways in the past. The clone trains being proposed, are based on the patronization of already operating special trains with limited stoppages and faster transit time. The clone trains will primarily be 3 AC trains and run ahead of the already operating special trains," it said.
The Ministry said that the clone train will have a speed higher than the existing special train.
