On Friday, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav announced that common coaches will be added to 108 trains during the festive season. (News18 Hindi)
Thousands of people travel to Bihar during Diwali and Chat Puja, prompting Indian Railways to make special arrangements
Despite having dozens of trains plying from Delhi to Bihar, securing a confirmed seat during festivals remains a constant challenge. Thousands of people travel to Bihar during Diwali and Chat Puja, prompting the Indian Railways to make special arrangements. On Friday, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav announced that common coaches will be added to 108 trains during the festive season.
Considering the convenience of passengers during the festive season, the railways has decided to increase the number of total coaches in 108 trains. Vaishnav said on Friday that 12,500 general coaches have been provided for special trains during Chat Puja and Diwali. A significant number of Biharis return home from Delhi and other parts of the country during these festivals, resulting in shortage of trains, buses and flights.
As of now, 5,975 trains have been notified for the financial year 2024-25. With this decision of the Indian Railways, it is estimated that around 1 crore passengers will be able to return home during the festive season.
In the previous financial year (2023-24), a total of 4,429 special trains were operated during the festive period. Over a thousand more trains are planned for this year compared to last year.
All Indian Railways zones have published a list of special trains that will be operated during Diwali and Chhath. The Northern Railway will run the most trains, with 130 planned, while the SCR zone has a plan for 104 special trains. 99 trains will run in the ECR zone. Indian Railways has decided to run special trains from all zones to ensure a smooth journey for the passengers.
