Indian Railways To Run 7000 Special Trains To Cater Festive Rush During Diwali, Chhath Puja: Check Details

Following the tragic stampede incident at Mumbai's Bandra station last week, Indian Railways announced maximum staff deployment as well as safety protocols in critical high-traffic stations

Special trains for Diwali 2024: To cater for the increased rush of passengers during the Diwali and Chhat Puja festivals, Indian Railways has arranged 7,000 special trains, generating over one crore extra seats, for the festive season. The Indian Railways has also made holding areas for passengers and including clone trains in the fleet to cater to the festive rush, according to Dilip Kumar Executive Director of Information and Publicity, Railway Board.

"The number of passengers increased during the festive season of Diwali and Chhath... This year, the railway has made elaborate arrangements. More than 7000 special trains have been arranged. This has generated more than one crore seats... We are also running clone trains on important routes... We have also made holding areas for the passengers," he told news agency ANI. 

More Trains From Mumbai

Meanwhile, the Western Railway (WR) announced that it will be operating 200 special trains for the Diwali and Chhath Puja festive season, of which, over 120 trains will run on Tuesday, October 29. Of these, around 40 trains would be managed by the Mumbai Division, including 22 trains travelling to popular destinations in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Odisha, the Indian Railway said.

According to Vineet Abhishek, Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, these special services would complement the regular operations, with several extra coaches added to cater to festive rush and passenger demand.

Eastern Railway Increases Fleet

The Eastern Railways has also announced that would be operating 50 special trains and provide 400 additional services during Diwali and Chhath Puja. As per Kaushik Mitra, the Eastern Railways PRO, the Eastern Railway has increased the number of special trains from 33 to 50 this year.

Bandra Stampede

Following the tragic stampede incident at Mumbai's Bandra station last week, Indian Railways announced maximum staff deployment as well as safety protocols in critical high-traffic stations, such as Bandra Terminus, Surat, Udhna, Vadodara, and Ahmedabad. Sale of platform tickets has been temporarily restricted at key Mumbai Division stations until November 8, 2024, including Mumbai Central, Dadar, Bandra Terminus, Borivali, Vasai Road, Vapi, Valsad, Udhna, and Surat. This measure aims to control crowding and facilitate smooth movement within the station areas.