New Delhi: Railways has decided to run semi-high-speed Vande Bharat and Tejas trains to cater to faster connectivity to clear extra rush during the festive season.
The Railways already chalked out the strategy and routes for running these semi-high-speed trains to tackle festival rush across the country.
According to the Railway officials, the Railways will run reserved Vande Bharat Special Express trains from New Delhi to Patna. The trains will depart from Delhi on October 30, November 1, 3 and 6, and return on October 31, November 2, 4 and 7. The passengers will be able to board the trains from New Delhi, Kanpur Central, Prayagraj Junction, New West Cabin, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, Buxar, Ara, and Patna Junction.
Similarly, Vande Bharat Reserve Special trains will run from Lucknow to Chharpra. The trains will depart from Lucknow on October 25 to November 8 (except October 29 and November 5), and these will start from Chharpra on October 25 to November 8 (except October 29 and November 5). The trains will pass through Lucknow, Sultanpur Junction, Varanasi Junction, Ghazipur City, Ballia, Suraimanpur, and Chharpra.
Another superfast train Tejas will run on October 29, 31and November 2 and 5, and the Delhi Superfast special operate on October 30 and November 1, 3, and 6. The passengers can book their seats in AC, Sleeper and General Coaches for travel.
Senior Railway officials said these train services are being operated on popular routes from major stations and these have been provided with varied coach compositions including both reserved coaches and unreserved coaches to cater to all segments of passengers.
The Railways advised passengers wishing to travel by unreserved coaches can purchase their tickets through UTS on Mobile App to avoid standing in the queue at general counters, and passengers can book reserved tickets as per their wish online or at the counter.
Besides this, the railway is set to operate 6,556 special trains this year as compared to 4,429 trains in 2023. These trains will facilitate smooth travel for passengers during Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath Puja from October to November 30, 2024.
According to Railway officials, special trains run every year during festivals and this year, the number of trains has been significantly increased to accommodate the surge in travellers.
In 2023, a total of 4,429 festival special trains were operated to ensure a comfortable travel experience for passengers, especially in east-bound states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Assam.
