AHMEDABAD, Nov 4 : Western Railway ran 104 special trains from Udhna junction to cater to the huge rush of passengers going to Uttar Pradesh and other states for Chhath celebrations from Gujarat’s Surat district, an official said on Monday.
WR is running 340 special trains during the festive season to various destinations in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Orissa to cater to the passengers’ demand, he added. “These special trains are operated in addition to regular trains run to these destinations. Additional coaches are also being augmented in regular trains as per availability and demand. On November 4 and 5, additional 37 trains are being run to cater to passenger demand. A majority of these trains originate from Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Mumbai, Surat, Udhna, Vapi and Valsad,” a WR release said. “Further, special control rooms have been set up at all levels for smooth functioning and punctuality. WR ran 104 trains to serve passenger demand at Udhna in Surat where a large number of workers, mainly engaged in the diamond and textiles industry, go to their home states for Diwali and Chhath festival,,” it added. More than 1,60,000 passengers were able to travel to their destinations on these trains, including 31,000 from Udhna junction on November 3, the release informed. “WR has created special facilities to ensure there is not much rush by deploying 50 sahayaks (volunteers), 20-40 ticket checking staff, 85 RPF staff, 140 GRP and 60 RSPF staff,” it added. (PTI)