Patna: Indian Railways has announced the operation of four pairs of special trains for the summer season, aiming to ease congestion on busy routes amid rising passenger demand. The move is expected to provide relief to travellers in Bihar and adjoining regions, particularly on long-distance corridors connecting the state to Delhi and eastern India.
Among the services introduced is the Gandhidham–Malda Town special (09463/09464), scheduled to begin operations from Gandhidham on April 19 and from Malda Town on April 21. The train will depart Gandhidham Junction at 12:30 am and is expected to reach Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction (DDU) at 7:35 pm the following day. It will then continue its journey, arriving at Buxar at 10:15 pm and Patna at 11:45 pm before proceeding towards Malda Town via Kiul, Jamalpur and Bhagalpur.
On its return journey, the service will leave Malda Town at 5:35 pm and reach Patna Junction at 4:05 am the next morning, continuing onwards via Ara and Buxar. The train will run with a 20-coach composition, including one AC 2-tier coach, two AC 3-tier coaches, 13 sleeper class coaches, two general coaches, and two SLR (seating-cum-luggage rake) coaches.
A second service, the Supaul–New Delhi special (04071/04072), will operate daily between April 19 and May 17, with exceptions on May 22, 24, 25, 26 and 27. The train will depart New Delhi at 9:35 pm, while the return service from Supaul will leave at 7:45 am. Key stoppages on the route include Khagaria, Begusarai, Barauni, Hajipur, Sonepur and Chhapra, linking north Bihar with the national capital.
Another special service, the Anand Vihar–Khurda Road train (04066/04065), will run from Anand Vihar on April 19 and from Khurda Road on April 20. Departing at 12:30 am from Anand Vihar, the train will reach DDU at 3:50 pm the same day, followed by stops at Bhabhua Road at 4:40 pm, Sasaram at 5:13 pm, and Gaya Junction at 7:15 pm, before continuing its onward journey towards Jharkhand.
Railway officials said the additional services have been introduced to manage seasonal rush and improve connectivity during the peak summer travel period, when demand for long-distance trains typically increases sharply.
Details of the fourth pair of special trains were not immediately available at the time of reporting.
