Patna: To cope with the festive rush, the railways will operate a tri-weekly Vande Bharat Express festival special (02251/02252) between New Delhi and Patna Junction from Oct 21 to Nov 26. The service is aimed at providing faster and more comfortable travel for passengers between the two cities during the festive season, particularly Diwali and Chhath.ECR chief public relations officer (CPRO) Saraswati Chandra said the special train will depart from New Delhi at 8:35 am every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday and reach Patna Junction at 9:30 pm the same day. In the return direction, it will leave Patna Junction at 10 am every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday and arrive in New Delhi at 11:30 pm the same day.The semi-high-speed special will comprise 16 chair-car coaches and stop at Ara, Buxar, DDU, Prayagraj, Kanpur Central and Aligarh to facilitate passengers from these areas, Chandra said.Before the regular tri-weekly service begins, the train will make two trips from New Delhi on Oct 16 and 18 and return from Patna on Oct 17 and 19. These trips will follow the same timings as the regular festival service, the CPRO said.The special service is expected to provide additional capacity on the busy New Delhi-Patna route during the festive season, when many people travel to Bihar to celebrate Diwali and Chhath Puja with their families, railway sources said.
