Patna: Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed the railways to ensure safe, smooth and comfortable journeys for migrants travelling to their native places, particularly in Bihar and other eastern states, amid the seasonal rush.
While reviewing the operation of summer special trains during a high-level meeting with Railway Board officials in New Delhi on Thursday, he took stock of passenger demand during the ongoing summer travel peak.
The minister stressed the need for effective crowd management, punctual operations and passenger amenities. He asked officials to focus on routes catering to migrant workers and families travelling from western and northern parts of the country to eastern India.
According to East Central Railway (ECR) chief public relations officer Saraswati Chandra, the railways has decided to operate seven additional summer special trains either originating from or passing through the ECR jurisdiction to clear extra passenger rush. These services will run on key long-distance routes, including Udhna–Samastipur, Udhna–Madhubani, Udhna–Malda Town, Gandhidham–Malda Town, Sabarmati–Asansol and Sultanpur–Dankuni.
The Udhna–Samastipur summer special will operate on April 24, 25, 27, 28, 29 and 30, and on May 1. It will depart from Udhna at 5.30 am and reach Samastipur at 4 pm the next day. On the return journey, the train will leave Samastipur at 7 pm and arrive at Udhna at 4.45 am on the third day.
Similarly, the Udhna–Madhubani special will run on April 26, departing Udhna at 5.30 am and reaching Madhubani at 7 pm the following day. On the return, it will depart Madhubani at 10 pm on April 27 and reach Udhna at 11.35 am on April 29.
In addition, the Udhna–Malda Town special will operate on April 27, leaving Udhna at 8.15 pm and arriving at Malda Town at 8.10 am via Patna and Bhagalpur. Another Udhna–Malda Town special will run on April 28 and 30 on the same route.
Other summer specials passing through ECR include the Gandhidham–Malda Town, Sabarmati–Asansol and Sultanpur–Dankuni trains, which are expected to further ease congestion.
Railway Board sources said the railways plans to operate a total of 18,262 trips of summer special trains across the country between April 15 and July 15. Of these, 11,878 trips have already been operated, connecting major cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Surat, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru to high-demand destinations.
