Northeast Frontier Railway to operate 26 festival special trains

Guwahati (Assam) [India], September 29 : Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), in line with the Indian Railways, is set to operate 13 pairs or 26 numbers of special trains to facilitate a smooth travel experience and accommodate excess footfall of passengers during the forthcoming festive of Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath Puja, from October 1 to November 30.
As per the chief public relations officer NFR, these special trains will cover important destinations like Amritsar, Bengaluru, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj, Kolkata, Anand Vihar, Shri Ganganagar, etc., including the other important destinations falling in the journey route. The festive trains will also boost the inter-connectivity within the zone during this period to areas like Agartala, Naharlagun, Silchar, New Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Katihar, etc., including other adjacent areas.
NFR has proposed 26 special trains with 254 trips this year for the festivals. In comparison to the year 2023, NFR during the current year 2024 has managed to almost double the number of trains and trips that were notified & operated during the same period of the festive season.
Indian Railways operates special trains every year during festivals, accordingly, it is set to operate more than 6,000 special trains this year for the forthcoming festive season from October till November, 2024. It is noteworthy that during Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath festivals, millions of passengers travel across the country. Thus, the operations of special trains during this period have been significantly increased to accommodate the surge in travellers, read the statement further.
Over the next two months, these special trains will ensure that passengers travelling by train reach their destinations safely and seamlessly with comfort. Last year in 2023, Indian Railways ran an impressive total of 4429 festival special trains, ensuring a comfortable travel experience for millions of passengers.
Every year, a large number of people from all over the country travel to East and North Indian states like West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath Puja. These festivals are not only of religious significance for the people but also provide an important opportunity to reunite with their families, as mentioned in the CPRO statement.
Due to the heavy rush of passengers during the festive season, most trains see their tickets go on the waiting list two to three months in advance. To address this, Indian Railways is once again operating special trains during the festival season this year.