In anticipation of Diwali and Chhath Puja, Indian Railways will run 7,000 special trains, including clone trains, to accommodate the high volume of passengers.
Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information & Publicity at the Railway Board, highlighted that additional services are being arranged to manage the festive rush. “Passenger numbers rise significantly in certain regions like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh during this period. To meet demand, we’ve expanded from 4,300 to over 7,000 special trains across major stations, including Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Vishakhapatnam,” he stated.
Enhanced security measures with RPF and CRPF personnel have been implemented, along with more ticket counters. Kumar also mentioned that clone trains will follow high-demand routes, providing additional seating. “These clone trains will operate around 15 minutes after the original trains to meet the increased demand,” he said.
During a press conference, Northern Railway’s General Manager Ashok Kumar Verma outlined the region’s extensive plan, with 3,144 trips scheduled from October 1 to November 30, 2024. Approximately 85% of these special trains will serve routes toward UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Assam, with an extra 1.20 lakh berths available over the peak 13-day period.