<p>As in previous years, people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are heading home to celebrate festivals like Diwali and Chhath Puja. Northern Railway is also geared up to address the high demand for train tickets during this period. According to Northern Railway, this season, the railways will operate the highest number of special trains to facilitate festive travel.</p>
<p>The GM mentioned that Northern Railway is sharing in the festivities by enabling easy and accessible travel for those heading home to celebrate Diwali and Chhath Puja with their families.</p>
<h2><strong>Over 3,000 Special Trips in Two Months</strong></h2>
<p>From October 1 to November 30, Northern Railway has scheduled 3,144 special train trips. Approximately 85% of these special trains are directed eastward to accommodate passengers travelling to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Assam.</p>
<p>To ensure smooth and comfortable travel during Diwali and Chhath Puja, Northern Railway has scheduled 195 special train trips from October 26 to November 7. In 2023, 138 trips were operated for the same period.</p>
<p>Special trains from Delhi Junction, New Delhi, and Anand Vihar Railway Terminal will run to key destinations across the country. These include Patna, Danapur, Muzaffarpur, Jogbani, Saharsa, Jaynagar, Katihar, Darbhanga, Gorakhpur, Raxaul, Varanasi, Gaya, and Shri Vaishno Devi Katra, among others.</p>
<h2><strong>More Than 1.77 Additional Berths</strong></h2>
<p>Between October 26 and November 7, a total of 49 additional coaches will be added to major trains, providing 1,70,434 extra berths. Last year, 1,48,750 additional berths were arranged during this period. These special trains will accommodate around 54,000 unreserved passengers, up from 41,000 last year. Additional special trains will be scheduled as needed.</p>
<h2><strong>Crowd Management</strong></h2>
<p>To prevent overcrowding and accidents, and to minimise passenger movement within the station, several Bihar- and northeast-bound trains, including Bihar Sampark Kranti (12566), Sampark Kranti (12394), Vaishali Express (12554), and Purushottam Express (12802), will depart from platform 16 at New Delhi Railway Station.</p>
<p>Separate Queue For Unreserved Passengers In Delhi</p>
<p>For the first time, a dedicated entry gate has been set up at platform 16 of New Delhi Railway Station for unreserved passengers. To ensure orderly boarding, RPF and railway staff will monitor and manage queues at major stations for unreserved compartments.</p>
<h2><strong>Mini Control Rooms</strong></h2>
<p>Well-equipped mini control rooms have been established at New Delhi, Old Delhi, Anand Vihar Terminal, and Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Stations. These will be manned by representatives from various departments.</p>
<p>Northern Railway is taking special measures to avoid any last-minute platform changes. Special Duty Officers (SDOs) will be deployed at New Delhi, Delhi, and Anand Vihar Terminal stations during peak hours.</p>
<h2><strong>’Pandal’ Waiting Areas</strong></h2>
<p>To reduce platform congestion, “Passenger Holding Areas” (pandals) spanning 72,000 square feet are being constructed at New Delhi Railway Station and Anand Vihar Terminal. These include 59,164 square feet on the Ajmeri Gate side of New Delhi Station and 12,360 square feet at Anand Vihar Terminal. Compared to last year, the tent area at New Delhi has been increased threefold, while at Anand Vihar Terminal, it is 1.5 times larger.</p>