New Delhi, Oct 22 (IANS) The Indian Railways plans to run 1,500 special trains during the next five days with an average of 300 specials per day to cater to the surge in passengers ahead of Chhath festivities, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday.

These special trains will be operated in addition to the regular train services that are already running to these destinations.

“As travel surges for the Chhath festival ahead, Indian Railways are going the extra mile to ensure that all travellers reach their destination safely and comfortably,” the statement said.

Indian Railways stepped up the running of special trains for the Diwali season this year. Besides regular trains, 4,493 special train trips were operated in the last 21 days, averaging 213 trips daily, which helped the passengers reach home safely for Diwali festivities, the statement said.

For the upcoming Chhath Puja and ongoing Diwali season this year, the railways are running a robust special train schedule to manage the festive travel rush. Over a duration of 61 days, from October 1 to November 30, more than 12,000 special trains are being operated across the country. So far, a total of 11,865 trips (916 trains) have been notified, including 9,338 reserved and 2,203 unreserved trips, according to the statement.

This marks a significant increase from last year, when 7,724 Puja and Diwali special trains were run.

On October 19, the Railways facilitated over 36,000 passengers at Udhna Station (in Gujarat) — a 50 per cent increase from the same day in 2024. All passengers boarded trains by 4 p.m., reaching home in time to celebrate Diwali with their families. To manage the surge, coordinated efforts were made to control crowds. A dedicated holding area and numerous ticket counters were set up for passenger convenience. Over the last five days, more than 1.2 lakh people travelled from Udhna, the statement added.

–IANS

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