Indian Railways on Friday said it will be running 1098 special trains to accommodate the increased number of passengers for seamless travel during the festive season of Holi. Last year 720 special trains were run by the Indian Railways for Holi festival leading to an increase of 52 per cent of trains this year.
Additional 11 unreserved trains are being planned from major cities like Mumbai, Surat, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Patna among others to meet the last-minute rush of passengers travelling during the festive season. Meanwhile, an average of 1400 regular trains per day are being run to manage the rush in different parts of the country mainly UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh among others.
The railways are also planning to accommodate an additional capacity of about 30 lacs passengers for the smooth movement of the festive passengers. Meanwhile, additional security will also be deployed at various places to manage the crowd and provide round-the-clock surveillance.
This year the festival of colours falls on March 25 (Monday). There is expected to be a heavy rush during the festive period. Generally, the movement of the public begins 4 days before Holi and lasts 4-5 days after the festival. Indian Railways plans Holi special trains from different parts of the country to clear the anticipated rush every year.
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