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Pune division to run 216 festival special train trips
Passengers travelling to different parts of the country during the festival period will have additional options through these special services
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To cater to the rush anticipated during the Navratra, Diwali and Chhath festivals, the Central Railway’s (CR’s) Pune division will operate 216 trips of seven special trains on various routes between October and November. The train-on-demand (TOD) services will connect Pune and Hadapsar with major destinations including Gorakhpur, Ghazipur City, Nagpur and New Amravati; while special services will also operate between Mumbai and Kolhapur, and Kolhapur and Kalaburagi.
As per the information shared by the railways, the Hadapsar-Gorakhpur-Hadapsar daily special will make 64 trips. Between October 16 and November 16, train 01415 will leave Hadapsar at 7.05 am daily and reach Gorakhpur at 4 pm the following day. Between October 17 and November 17, the return service will leave Gorakhpur at 5.30 pm and reach Hadapsar at 3.30 am on the third day. The service will halt at major stations including Daund Chord Line, Ahilyanagar, Belapur, Manmad, Bhusawal, Khandwa, Itarsi, Bhopal, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Gonda and Basti.
Whereas the Nagpur-Hadapsar-Nagpur bi-weekly special will make 26 trips, with services operating every Monday and Thursday from Nagpur and every Tuesday and Friday from Hadapsar. Another weekly Nagpur-Hadapsar service will make 14 trips, operating on Saturdays from Nagpur and Sundays from Hadapsar. Both services will cover stations including Wardha, Akola, Bhusawal, Jalgaon, Manmad, Kopargaon, Belapur, Ahilyanagar and Daund Chord Line.
The Hadapsar-Ghazipur City-Hadapsar bi-weekly special will make 24 trips, operating from Hadapsar every Tuesday and Friday between October 13 and November 20. The return service will operate every Thursday and Sunday from Ghazipur City, and will pass through major stations including Bhusawal, Khandwa, Itarsi, Katni, Satna, Prayagraj Chheoki, Varanasi and Jaunpur. The Pune-New Amravati weekly special will make 12 trips between October 13 and November 18, with the terminal revised from Amravati to New Amravati (NAVI).
A 12-trip CSMT-Kolhapur-CSMT weekly special will operate every Thursday from October 15 to November 19, covering Pune, Lonavla, Jejuri, Satara, Karad, Sangli, Miraj and Hatkanangale. Meanwhile, the Kolhapur-Kalaburagi-Kolhapur special will operate daily except on Fridays from October 10 to November 15, making 64 trips, and serving stations including Miraj, Pandharpur, Kurduwadi and Solapur.
Hemant Kumar Behera, spokesperson, Pune railway division, said, “Passengers travelling to different parts of the country during the festival period will have additional options through these special services. We have planned the services on routes where additional demand is expected.”
Passengers have welcomed the announcement, particularly additional services to destinations in Uttar Pradesh and other parts of central India. “During Diwali and Chhath, getting confirmed tickets to our hometown becomes difficult. The additional Hadapsar-Gorakhpur and Hadapsar-Ghazipur services will give passengers more options,” said Hariprasad Pandey, a passenger who regularly travels to Uttar Pradesh.
Advance reservation for trains 01431, 01201 and 01417 has opened on September 27; while reservation for trains 01209, 01415, 01403 and 01451 will open on September 28. Tickets can be booked through computerised Passenger Reservation System counters, and the IRCTC website, with applicable special charges. General second class, SLR and SLRD coaches designated as unreserved will be available through the UTS system, including the UTS app and booking counters.
