Indian Railways to run 392 Festival Special Trains from October 20-November 30
Special train services extended till January 1
Indian Railways on Tuesday announced that it will operate 392 trains (196 pairs) of Festival Special Trains. These trains will be operated between October 20, 2020, and November 30, 2020. The decision was taken due to the approaching festive season that will start this week with the celebration of the Navratra and it is expected a passenger rush can be seen during the season.
The Railway ministry said in a statement said, the decision was taken as the national carrier is anticipating a passenger rush during the upcoming festive season.
Ministry of Railways in a tweet said, "To clear the festive rush, Ministry of Railways has approved 196 pairs (392 trains) of "Festival Special" services over Indian Railways to be operated from 20th October 2020 and 30th November 2020. Zonal Railways will notify their schedule in advance."
The special trains will be run for destinations such as Kolkata, Patna, Varanasi, Lucknow among others to cater to the growing demand in the ensuing holiday period of Durga Puja, Dussehra, Diwali and Chhatt puja, it said.
The Railways had suspended all passenger trains services due to the imposition of a nationwide lockdown from March 25, 2020. However, it resumed services in a staggered manner, with Shramik Special trains to help stranded migrant workers reach their home states from May 1, 2020.
Till date, the railways has pressed into services more than 300 mail/ express trains which are now running regularly across the country. These new festival special trains, however, will operate only till November 30 and will not have a continued run, officials said.
In an order issued on Tuesday, the Railway Board said these festival special trains will be operated at a speed of 55 km/h and the fares applicable will be those of special trains. The Railways has suspended all its regular services due to the coronavirus pandemic and is operating trains as per demand and necessity.
Zonal Railways will notify their schedule well in advance, the ministry said in a statement. Accordingly, ticket booking facility will be available both online (via IRCTC website) and on PRS ticket counters.