Muzaffarpur: East Central Railway will operate a one-way Amrit Bharat Special train from Muzaffarpur in Bihar to Bengaluru to ease passenger congestion, officials announced. The service, which will run via Ara, aims to accommodate the surge of travellers following the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections.
The train, numbered 05545, is scheduled to depart from Muzaffarpur at 21:15 on November 11 and 12. It will make stops at Patliputra (23:00), Danapur (23:30), Ara Junction (12:03), Buxar (13:48), and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction (02:54), before reaching Bengaluru at 23:50 the following day via Jabalpur, Itarsi, and Nagpur.
As an Amrit Bharat Special, the train will comprise 11 Sleeper Class and 8 General Class coaches. Tickets are available through the PRS counters and the IRCTC website.
Reports from Ara Junction indicate a heavy rush for Tatkal tickets, with passengers lining up from early morning on Friday after casting their votes. The crowd included policemen, railway officials, and ordinary commuters seeking to return to workplaces. Many have demanded an increase in the Tatkal quota and the addition of extra coaches to accommodate demand.
Railway authorities said the post-election rush has doubled in recent days. With the limited Tatkal quota, many passengers are unable to secure tickets, prompting the railways to consider adding coaches and extending booking hours to better manage the surge.
