New Delhi: To cater the demand during Navratri, Durga Pooja, Dussehra, Diwali and Chhath Pooja like festivals, which are lined up in the coming days, Indian Railways is all set to operate 196 pair or 392 Special 'Festive Trains' from October 20 to November 30.
These trains are being planned specifically for the destinations which are on high demand during the festive season, such as Kolkata, Varanasi, Lucknow, Patna and many others.
Some of the festive trains which will run from Tuesday are Train No. 02572 Delhi-Shri Ganganagar, Train No. 04519 Delhi-Bathinda, Train No. 04418 Nizamuddin-Pune, Train No. 02231 Lucknow-Chandigarh, 02866 Puri-Lokamanya Tilak Terminus, 08414 Puri-ParaDeep Special, 02892 Bhuvaneshvar-Bangiriposi Special, 02760 Hyderabad-Tambaram daily special train and many others.
As per the order of Ministry of Railways, the fare applicable for these 'Festive Special' trains will be 10-30 per cent more than the fare of regular trains, depending on the class of travel, due to the addition of 'special charge' on tickets.
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These trains will run at a minimum speed of 55 kmph, said the order of Railway Board.
However, these special trains will only run till November 30 and will not continue further.
Last week, Railway Board Chairman also reviewed security, crowd management, enforcement of COVID protocols at the railway station and trains as the footfall increases during the festive season.
When asked about the resumption of passenger services, CRB Vinod Kumar Yadav said, "Indian Railways is taking a stock of passenger train services on a daily basis, depending on the state government's need and status of COVID-19. We will plan to operate more trains accordingly."
Currently, 682 special trains are running across the country with 20 clone trains. The passenger train services were suspended due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in the country and now Railways is resuming its services in a graded manner.
