Chhath Puja 2024: Over 500 special trains to handle festival return rush
The Railway Board announced on Wednesday that it has scheduled more than 500 special trains to handle the return rush of travellers from their home towns, which will begin on November 8 with the end of Chhath Puja.
Chhath Puja 2024: The Railway Board announced on Wednesday that it has scheduled more than 500 special trains to handle the return rush of travellers from their home towns, which will begin on November 8 with the end of Chhath Puja.
"Special trains have been announced to accommodate returning passengers, with additional trains planned from the Samastipur, Danapur divisions and other divisions as needed to meet local demand," the Board said.
It stated that the rush for Chhath Puja will begin after sunrise on November 8, and that it has scheduled 164 special trains to accommodate the increased passenger flow on that day.
"Following this, Indian Railways has planned 160 special trains for November 9, 161 for November 10, and 155 for November 11, ensuring sufficient capacity to manage the expected surge in travellers during the festive period," it further said.
According to the Railway Board, on November 4, Indian Railways carried an unprecedented number of passengers in a single day, 120.72 lakh.
"This included 19.43 lakh reserved passengers and 101.29 lakh unreserved non-suburban passengers -- the number exceeding the combined populations of Australia and New Zealand. On the same day, suburban traffic reached a record 180 lakh passengers, making it the highest single-day passenger figure of the year."
It also claimed to have achieved a historic feat by transporting 65 lakh passengers on 4,521 special trains in the previous 36 days.
"These additional services have played a crucial role in facilitating smooth travel during the ongoing Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath Puja celebrations," according to the statement.
According to the Board, Indian Railways has announced a total of 7,724 special trains to fulfil increased travel demand over the festival season from October 1 to November 30, which is a 73% increase over the previous year's 4,429.
"This substantial expansion aims to ensure seamless travel during the peak festival season. Indian Railways has operated an average of 175 special trains per day over the past four days to carry passengers to their destinations for Chhath Puja."