Guwahati: To tackle the unprecedented festive rush, Indian Railways has launched a massive operations drive, scheduling over 7,000 festival special trains across India for Diwali and Chhath Puja.
This extensive deployment aims to accommodate millions of travelers heading home to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and the Northeastern states during peak festival weeks.
Key corridors are seeing heavily fortified service. Northern Railway is leading operations out of Delhi hubs, while Central Railway has deployed 418 special trips departing from Mumbai. Notably, a premium Delhi–Patna Vande Bharat special train has been introduced to ensure swift regional transit.
In the northeast, the Northeast Frontier Railway is operating 52 dedicated special trains to manage the seasonal passenger surge effectively.
Railway officials emphasized their readiness to ensure smooth transit. "The safety and convenience of passengers remain our topmost priority during this high-demand festive period," stated a senior Ministry of Railways official. "We have deployed extra field staff and dynamic crowd-control measures at all major terminal stations to safely manage the increased footfall."
Travelers are urged to use the official IRCTC portal and NTES app to track live seat availability and real-time train status.