Indian Railways Boosts Special Services for Festive Season

To accommodate festive travel demands, Indian Railways has launched nearly 12,000 special trains. The East Coast Railway alone is operating 367 special services. Enhanced measures, including CCTV and additional staff, ensure safe travel. More trains are planned for upcoming festivals, with over a crore passengers already benefiting from the initiative.

In response to the surge in travel demand during the festive season, Indian Railways has rolled out nearly 12,000 special trains nationwide to ensure that passengers reach their hometowns safely and effortlessly. According to East Coast Railway (ECoR) General Manager Parmeshwar Funkwal, a significant contribution comes from the East Coast Railway, which is operating 367 of these special trains. Since the beginning of October, 76 special services have commenced, accommodating over 78,000 passengers. Railways Protection Force along with other officials are deployed at railway stations to prevent any crowd-related incidents, supported by over 900 CCTV cameras.

With festivals like Chhath driving an expected passenger surge, the Railways aims to introduce approximately 8,000 more special trains in the upcoming days, as confirmed by Northern Railway. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has conducted an on-ground assessment of the readiness measures in place, ensuring efficient travel arrangements during his visit to New Delhi Railway Station.

The robust efforts by Indian Railways include successfully operating 3,960 special trains between 1 October and 19 October, catering to over one crore passengers. These additions complement regular services to manage the festive rush across all zones, including Northern Railway (1,919), Central Railway (1,998), and Western Railway (1,501), among others. Diverse measures at stations, such as dedicated holding areas, extra ticket counters, and improved amenities, have been implemented to enhance the travel experience for passengers.

(With inputs from agencies.)