Amid the festive rush for Chhath Puja, the Indian Railways has announced 11 pairs of special trains along one unreserved train for migrants heading to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, running a total of 64 trips, to ensure smooth travel for passengers.
Of these 12 special trains, four including two Amritsar-Chhapra special trains (05050 and 04608), Amritsar-Katihar special train (05735) and Amritsar-Barhni Pooja special train (05006) are scheduled to operate from Dhandari Kalan railway.
Meanwhile, the remaining eight will run from Ludhiana railway station. Out of these special trains, six services will commence from Ludhiana railway station. These include the Ludhiana–Banda special train (00098), Ludhiana-Supaul (04656); Ludhiana–Katihar trains ( 04658 and 04660), and the Ludhiana–Patna special train (04664).
Special unreserved train from Ludhiana to Darbhanga
Reportedly, the railway has also announced to run a special unreserved train from Ludhiana to Darbhanga (04666), which departed from Ludhiana station at 10.15 pm on Wednesday.
The train was planned to stop at key stations including Sirhind, Rajpura, Ambala Cantt, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Hajipur, Muzaffarpur, and Samastipur, among others, providing convenient travel for passengers heading to Bihar.
Reportedly, railway officials noted that a total of 22 trains heading east, five will run daily, while the remaining trains will operate on specific days of the week. The trains are planned for a string of routes including Chhapra, Katihar, Kishanganj, Banda (Uttar Pradesh) and Patna operating from October 21 to November 30.
{{/usCountry}}Reportedly, railway officials noted that a total of 22 trains heading east, five will run daily, while the remaining trains will operate on specific days of the week. The trains are planned for a string of routes including Chhapra, Katihar, Kishanganj, Banda (Uttar Pradesh) and Patna operating from October 21 to November 30.
{{/usCountry}}These trains have been scheduled to accommodate the surge of passengers travelling to eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar during the festive season, ensuring a smooth and organised journey, officials noted.
Temporary waiting area, ticket counters set up
Additionally, to cater to the large flow of passengers at Ludhiana railway station, a temporary waiting area has been set up along with the deployment of personnel from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) to manage the crowd and ensure passengers safety.
For passenger convenience, additional ticket counters and ATVM facilitators have also been made available at railway stations. Real time train information will be continuously updated through display boards, public announcements, and help desks, ensuring travellers are well-informed.
Passengers will also have access to first aid, drinking water, sanitation facilities, food stalls, and essential medicines at all major stations. CCTV surveillance and round the clock monitoring from the Ferozepur Divisional War Room will help maintain smooth operations.
To further manage crowding during the festival, the sale of platform tickets at Ludhiana and Dhandari Kalan stations has been temporarily suspended from October 16 to 26, and all parcel transactions at Ludhiana station will be suspended from October 23 to 25.