In preparation for the Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals, Indian Railways will run 7,000 special trains, including clone trains, to accommodate the surge in passengers. Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information & Publicity at the Railway Board, announced that expanded services and additional facilities are being arranged to manage the festive rush.

Kumar highlighted that demand rises significantly in regions like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh during this period, prompting the railway to deploy trains from key stations across the country, including Old Delhi, New Delhi, Anand Vihar, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Visakhapatnam. He noted that the number of special trains has nearly doubled from the 4,300 deployed last year.

To ensure smooth operations, Indian Railways has enhanced security at stations with additional personnel from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Ticket counters have also been increased to manage passenger flow effectively.

Clone trains will complement high-demand routes by departing 15 minutes after the original train, providing additional seating for travelers. "The clone trains will address the overwhelming demand on popular routes, ensuring passengers have more travel options," Kumar said.

During a press briefing, Northern Railway General Manager Ashok Kumar Verma detailed their plans for the festive period. Northern Railway has announced 3,144 trips between October 1 and November 30, the highest among all zones. Around 85% of these special trains will serve passengers traveling to eastern states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Assam.

Verma added that Northern Railway will operate 65 extra trains per day from Delhi during the peak 13-day period, compared to 59 last year, offering an additional 120,000 berths to passengers. (ET)