Indian Railways Expands Holi Special Train Services to Manage Festive Travel Surge
In response to the anticipated increase in passenger traffic during the Holi festival, Indian Railways has announced the addition of nine more special trains to its existing fleet. This decision comes after the railways had already introduced 20 pairs of Holi special trains, aiming to ensure smooth and efficient travel for commuters across various routes.
Detailed Schedule of New Holi Special Trains
According to Saraswati Chandra, the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of the East Central Railway (ECR), the new services include several key routes. A Pune-Danapur special train will operate from February 23 to March 8. Another special train on the same route will run from February 21 to March 10, departing Danapur daily at 5:00 AM and arriving in Pune the next day at 6:15 PM.
Mumbai-Danapur Services: The Lokmanya Tilak Mumbai-Danapur special train will be in operation from February 21 to March 9. It will leave Lokmanya Tilak Mumbai daily at 10:30 AM, reaching Danapur around 6:45 PM. On its return journey, the train will depart Danapur daily at 9:30 PM and arrive at Lokmanya Tilak Mumbai on the third day at approximately 7:45 AM.
Additional Routes and Schedules:
- The Lokmanya Tilak Mumbai-Samastipur special train will run from February 24 to March 5, leaving Mumbai every Tuesday and returning from Samastipur every Thursday.
- A Raxaul-Lokmanya Tilak Mumbai special train is scheduled from March 10 to 31, departing Raxaul every Tuesday at 7:15 PM and reaching Mumbai on the third day at 5:50 AM.
- Other special trains include Saharsa-Lokmanya Tilak Mumbai, Sriganganagar-Samastipur, Ahmedabad-Darbhanga, and Ahmedabad-Patna services, all designed to alleviate the festive rush.
These measures highlight Indian Railways' proactive approach to managing peak travel periods, ensuring passengers can celebrate Holi with minimal disruptions.
