In anticipation of the Diwali and Chhath Puja rush, Indian Railways has announced it will operate 7,000 special trains, including clone trains, to accommodate the high volume of travelers. Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information and Publicity at the Railway Board, confirmed that these additional services aim to ease the travel experience for millions of passengers across the country.
Special trains will depart from major stations nationwide, including Old Delhi, New Delhi, Anand Vihar, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Vishakhapatnam. Emphasizing the scale of this operation, Kumar noted, “Previously, we operated 4,300 special trains. This year, we have significantly increased the number to over 7,000 to meet demand.”
Security and Ticketing Arrangements Enhanced
To ensure safe and smooth operations, the Railways has increased the presence of Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at stations. More ticket counters have also been opened to reduce waiting times for passengers.
A new initiative includes clone trains running on high-demand routes, scheduled to depart 15 minutes after the original train to provide additional seat availability. “Popular routes with high demand will have a clone train running shortly after the primary train,” Kumar explained.
Northern Railway Leads with Extra Services
Northern Railway will operate the largest share, planning 3,144 trips between October 1 and November 30, primarily to regions like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Assam. Over the next thirteen days, 65 extra trains will depart daily from Delhi, offering 1.2 lakh additional berths for travelers, according to Northern Railway General Manager Ashok Kumar Verma.