Indian Railways will operate 392 special festival trains from tomorrow through November 30 in anticipation of the upcoming festival season.
Indian Railways said that these trains will run to destinations such as Kolkata, Patna, Varanasi, Lucknow, among others, to cater for the growing demand during the ensuing holiday period of Durga Puja, Dussehra, Diwali and Chhatt puja.
In a statement, the Ministry of Railways also said that the fares for these trains will be similar to those applicable to special trains, which means that ‘special charges’ will be charged, making tickets more expensive by 10- 30% compared to mail / express train fares, depending on travel class.
Full List of Indian Railways Festival Special Trains
So far, the railroads have put into service 666 special mail / express trains that now run regularly across the country. Additionally, some suburban services are also operated in Mumbai, as well as certain Kolkata metro services. However, these new festival special trains will operate only until November 30 and will not run continuously, authorities said.
The Railroad Board said that these special festival trains will operate at a speed of 55 km / h.
Railways has suspended all its regular services due to the coronavirus pandemic since March and is operating trains based on demand and need. Since May 12, Railways began operating limited special trains to help stranded people across the country reach their homes in different states. It started with 15 pairs of premium Rajdhani special trains connecting Delhi with different parts of the country, followed by 100 pairs of long-distance trains on June 1. It also launched an additional 80 trains on September 12.
Earlier this month, the President and CEO of the Railroad Board, VK Yadav, had said that Railways would take stock of passenger services on a daily basis, based on the needs of state governments and the state of the pandemic.
“We have held meetings with the general managers of zones and instructed them to speak with the local administration and review the status of the coronavirus. They have been asked to give us a report after which we will decide how many trains can be introduced during the Christmas season. . “, Yadav had said.
Although the Board of Railways has approved the festival’s special trains, it will be up to the zones to finalize their details and schedules.
* With inputs from agencies
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