Mumbai:Two special trains being run between Mumbai and Ahmedabad on January 25 and 26 by Western Railway are set to provide relief for those wanting to attend concerts of renowned rock band Coldplay amid skyrocketing airfares between the two cities.
An official on Thursday said though the two trains are "winter specials" as per the directive of the Railway Board, these are being operated to clear the extra rush of passengers given the Coldplay concerts on January 25 and 26 at Narendra Modi stadium in Gujarat.
"Both the trains will depart from Bandra Terminus at 6:15 am and reach Ahmedabad at 2 pm on January 25 and at 1 pm on January 26. On the return leg, the trains will leave from Ahmedabad the next day at 1:40 am and arrive at Bandra Terminus at 8:40 am. The second train will depart on January 27 at 00:50 am and arrive here at 8:30 am," he said.
These trains will halt at Borivali, Vapi, Udhna, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara and Gertapur in both directions, the official said. Other officials said airfares have soared between the metropolis and Gujarat's largest city due to the concerts, while trains on the route are also full.
Even these two 'winter specials' might not be sufficient if the popularity of Coldplay and the experience of the railways with the cricket World Cup were anything to go by, these officials pointed out. For the Coldplay concerts to be held at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on January 18, 19 and 21, the organisers have booked Full Tariff Rate (FTR) suburban locals for the attendees.
"The suburban locals booked as FTR will be operated between Goregaon and Nerul station in Navi Mumbai on all three days of the Coldplay concert. The suburban trains will depart from Goregaon at 2 pm on January 18 and 19, and reach Nerul at 3.23 pm via Wadala road station.
They will depart from Nerul at 11.04 pm and reach Goregaon a little after midnight at 12.30 am," he said. "On January 21, a suburban local will depart at 2.50 pm and reach Nerul at 6.18 pm. In the return direction, it will depart from Nerul at 10.50 pm and reach Goregaon a little after midnight at 12.15 am. The booked suburban locals will halt only at Bandra, Andheri, Wadala Road, Chembur, and Jainagar stations in both directions," the official said.
The WR official said tickets for the special train are being booked through Book My Show, but they are not aware if only ticket holders will be able to travel on the trains or general public can board those.
