To ease travel during Deepawali and Chhath, Indian Railways will run over 12,000 special trains, aiming to accommodate the festive rush. This move follows the recent announcement of a 20 per cent discount on confirmed return journey tickets for the festival season.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, speaking at Rail Bhawan, said the decision was made after consultations with Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, MP Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal, Union Minister Lalan Singh, and MP Sanjay Kumar Jha. He stressed that special attention will be given to ensure a smooth return journey for passengers.
Following these discussions, the Railways has finalised plans to operate more than 12,000 special trains, ensuring both onward and return journeys are well-facilitated during the festive period.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced several key initiatives aimed at improving rail services during the upcoming festive season and enhancing infrastructure in Bihar. He stated that passengers travelling between October 13 and 26 for onward journeys and November 17 to December 1 for return journeys will receive a 20 per cent discount on confirmed return tickets. This special offer is designed to benefit a large number of passengers during Diwali and Chhath festivals.
In a major expansion of train services, four new Amrit Bharat Express trains will be introduced on the following routes:
Gaya to Delhi
Saharsa to Amritsar
Chhapra to Delhi
Muzaffarpur to Hyderabad
A new circuit train focused on Buddhist pilgrimage sites will also be launched. Targeted especially at middle-class families, this train will cover destinations such as Vaishali, Hajipur, Sonepur, Patna, Rajgir, Gaya, and Koderma.
Further, the Buxar–Lakhisarai rail section will be developed into a four-line corridor to allow more train operations. A ring railway system will be built around Patna to improve urban connectivity. Rail connectivity between Sultanganj and Deoghar will also be established.
Additionally, a new train service will run between Patna and Ayodhya, and a washing pit facility will be set up at Laukaha Bazar. Work will also commence on several newly approved road overbridges across Bihar, the minister confirmed.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), MP Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal, and MP Sanjay Kumar Jha thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for approving additional development projects in Bihar and for launching several new trains, including the Amrit Bharat and Vande Bharat services.
