New Delhi: With trains to eastern India witnessing heavy rush during the festive season, Northern Railway has planned over 6,200 trips of special trains to accommodate passengers travelling home for Diwali and Chhath.Officials said that the services have been introduced as passengers continue to face difficulty getting confirmed tickets, and seats fill up soon after special trains are announced.Northern Railway has increased the number of special train trips by around 30% compared with last year’s festive season, when 4,666 trips were operated. This year, 42 new trains have also been regularised, which will together make 2,600 trips during the festive period.Around 3,600 trips have already been announced, while the total number of trips planned for the season will exceed 6,200, according to the railway’s figures.Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, chief public relations officer of Northern Railway, said arrangements were being made to ensure passengers did not face difficulties while travelling home during the festivals.Security has been strengthened at stations and passenger facilities expanded to manage the additional rush. Extra ticket counters have been opened and additional staff deployed to assist passengers.A large number of special trains are being operated on routes connecting Delhi and other northern cities with destinations in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, where demand is particularly high during the festive period.The trains include services on the Delhi-Patna Vande Bharat, Shakurbasti-Darbhanga, Mata Vaishno Devi-Varanasi, Chandigarh-Patna, Anand Vihar-Patliputra, New Delhi-Howrah, Kolkata-Yog Nagari Rishikesh, Amritsar-Barauni, New Delhi-Danapur, Delhi-Kamakhya, Delhi-Gaya and Amritsar-Jaynagar routes.The additional services are aimed at easing the pressure on regular trains during the festive rush, when a large number of passengers travel to their hometowns to celebrate Diwali and Chhath with their families.
