Indian Railways to Run 12,000 Special Trains for Diwali and Chhath
Indian Railways will operate more than 12,000 special trains this year to handle the heavy festive rush during Diwali and Chhath. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw made the announcement in New Delhi after consultations with Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, Union Minister Lalan Singh, MP Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal, and MP Sanjay Kumar Jha.
Vaishnaw said passengers will not only benefit from extra train services but also from discounted fares. Those travelling between October 13 and 26 on their onward journey and returning between November 17 and December 1 will get a 20% discount on their return tickets.
Alongside the festive arrangements, the minister also announced several new train services. Four Amrit Bharat Express trains will soon run on these routes: Gaya-Delhi, Saharsa-Amritsar, Chhapra-Delhi, and Muzaffarpur-Hyderabad. A new Vande Bharat Express will connect Purnia to Patna.
A special Buddhist Circuit train, aimed at middle-class travellers, will cover major sites such as Vaishali, Hajipur, Sonepur, Patna, Rajgir, Gaya, and Koderma.
On the infrastructure front, the Buxar-Lakhisarai rail section will be developed into a four-line corridor to allow more trains. A ring railway will come up around Patna, while new links will connect Sultanganj to Deoghar and Patna to Ayodhya. The Railways will also build a washing pit at Laukaha Bazar and speed up work on several new road overbridges in Bihar.
Bihar leaders thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for approving these projects, calling them a major boost to connectivity in the state.
