Railway Ministry Announces Extensive Measures for Festive Travel and Infrastructure Expansion

The Indian Railways is gearing up for the Diwali and Chhath Puja rush by deploying 12,000 special trains across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The Union Railways Minister disclosed the plan to operate 150 unreserved trains to ease the congestion. The special trains are projected to serve approximately 2-3 crore passengers, with operations commencing from October 1 and running through November 15 to manage the passenger flow throughout the festive season. Further advancements include the imminent launch of the Vande Bharat Sleeper trains, with the first train already completed and the second slated for delivery by October 15. The Ministry also announced a new railway line project connecting Rajpura and Mohali in Punjab, which will span 18 km and require an investment of Rs 443 crore. This initiative aims to enhance transportation links to the Malwa region and cut down the travel distance to Chandigarh. In addition, a proposal for a new Vande Bharat train linking Firozpur Cantt, Bhatinda, Patiala, and Delhi was also put forth.