392 Special Trains to Start from Tomorrow to Meet Festival Travel Demands

Festive season has arrived in India. Given that most people stay away from their home, special trains have been started to meet the increasing demands of travel.

From October 20 to November 30, Indian Railways will run as many as 196 pairs (392) special trains. In order to meet the demands of passengers during festivals like Durga Puja, Dussehra, Diwali and Chhath Puja, these trains will operate from Kolkata, Patna, Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi and some other source stations, reported News18 Hindi.

The fare charged in these trains will be a little higher than the usual price for the same route. The tickets of festive trains will cost 30 percent more than the routine fare.

The official twitter handle of the Ministry of Railways tweeted the announcement about festive trains and shared basic information about them. The list which has been tweeted has information about the train number, departure and destination stations and its frequency.

The tweet also said that zonal railways will give information about the schedule of these trains.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country, railways used to operate approximately 12,000 trains daily. However, as India is facing the coronavirus crisis, the number has been reduced and there is a staggered train movement to meet the demands. Passenger trains have been completely stopped but special and express trains are being operated as per the need, reported News18 Hindi.

Passengers travelling in these festive trains will also need to follow instructions issued by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) keeping in mind the Covid-19 pandemic. Passengers will have to pay a fine or may be imprisoned up to five years for not following the rules.

As per the RPF, there will be severe punishment for not following protocols of social distancing at railway platforms. In case a person who is infected with Covid-19 or awaiting a test result or has not received approval from the health department for travelling enters the station premises, then s/he can be sent to jail for the same.