Chhath Puja Travel Woes: High Demand, Limited Special Trains, and Long Waiting Lists Pose Challenges For Bihari Passengers
Bhagalpur – Long lists of reservations for festival special trains, coupled with a shortage of available rooms in long-distance trains, are causing issues for people traveling home for Chhath Puja. The problem is exacerbated by the announcement of only a handful of festival special trains to accommodate the high demand.
Last year, eight trains were dedicated to the Bhagalpur railway section alone. However, this year, only four special trains have been announced for the same section, with the possibility of a few more being added in the coming days.
Tickets for sleeper coaches on trains from various locations, including Delhi, Mumbai, and Surat, to Bhagalpur and Naugachhia are scarce, and even Tatkal tickets are filling up rapidly. Many long-distance trains, such as Vikramshila Express, Surat Express, and Lokmanya Tilak Express, have no available seats till November 17.
The situation is similar for trains in the Naugachhia railway section, with Rajdhani, Mahananda, Awadh-Assam, North East, and Seemanchal Express facing no availability of seats from November 16 to 30. However, trains from Bhagalpur to Delhi and other destinations have a waiting period ranging from 93 to 145.
To alleviate the congestion, Eastern Central Railway has scheduled additional special trains via the Bhagalpur railway section for the Chhath festival. Train number 03435 Malda Town-Anand Vihar Terminal Chhath Special will run on November 20 and 27, while train number 03436 Anand Vihar Terminal-Malda Town Chhath Special will run on November 21 and 28. Additionally, special train 09195/96 will operate between Bhagalpur and Udhna.
In a bid to reduce crowding, extra sleeper coaches have been added to train number 02259 Bhagalpur-New Delhi special, and an AC coach has been added to train number 03235 Sahibganj-Danapur Express. The superfast special train between New Delhi and Bhagalpur, train number 02260, will run at 6:15 pm on November 17, with train number 02259 Bhagalpur-New Delhi Superfast departing on November 18 at 8:00 pm. However, both these trains also have waiting lists exceeding 150.
Railway officials have acknowledged the extensive waiting period for festival specials and are working to reduce crowding by adding special trains and extra coaches. The plan includes seeking approval and obtaining rakes from the headquarters to address the demand, similar to last year’s strategy.
