Northern Railway Navigates Unprecedented Festive Rush

To cater to the surge in demand, Northern Railway operated a record 3,500 special trains, ensuring seamless connectivity for millions of travellers, railway officials said.

New Delhi: Northern Railway has successfully navigated the unprecedented festive rush of Diwali and Chhath Puja, setting a new record by facilitating a staggering six crore passengers during this period.

Describing the arrangements chalked out by the railway, Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer, said that to cater to the hike in demand, Northern Railway operated a record 3,500 special trains, ensuring seamless connectivity for millions of travellers.

This was part of the larger Indian Railways’ effort, which saw the operation of 7,724 special trains nationwide, facilitating a whopping 20 crore passengers. It is noteworthy that Indian Railways facilitated over three crore passengers on November 4.

Upadhyay said, "We are proud to have successfully handled the massive festive rush, setting a new benchmark in passenger transportation. Our commitment to passenger safety and satisfaction remains unwavering. We will strive for excellence in providing efficient and hassle-free railway services."

In the mini-control established at railway stations, continuous monitoring of the crowd yielded positive and swift results. Apart from special trains, unreserved trains were also run as per demand. Railways ensured that passengers were not stranded at stations for longer duration, officials said.

Besides, for the smooth travel of passengers, 53 special rail services are currently being operated on North Western Railway, whose several trips will be operated to multiple places.

These rail services are being operated from the jurisdiction of North Western Railway to cities like Bandra Terminus, Valsad, Ranchi, Asansol, Howrah, Tanakpur, Gorakhpur, Patna, Danapur, Barhni, Mhow, Solapur, Haridwar, Daund, Santragachi, Dibrugarh, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Tirupati, Kachiguda, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Okha, Coimbatore, and Barauni.

Additional coaches are being added to the rail services for comfortable travel of passengers in the upcoming festive season. To date, as many as 145 coaches of different classes have been added across 68 pairs of rail services operated by North Western Railway, Upadhyay said.