Bhubaneswar: The East Coast Railway (ECoR) is running 27 pairs of special trains towards various destinations in the country to avoid rush in regular trains during Diwali and Chhat festivals. 

Of 27 pairs of special trains, 18 pairs will run up to last week of November, 2024, 2 pairs will run up to 1st week of November, 2024 and 7 pairs of trains will run up to December 2024 along with two pairs towards Danapur (Patna) and Jayanagar, Bihar.

The initiative aims to accommodate passengers across its jurisdiction, ensuring convenient travel options for festival-goers, the ECoR said in a release today.

About 600 trips of these special trains will leave from ECoR jurisdiction during the festive season. 

Additionally, 14 pairs of special trains are running through ECoR jurisdiction connecting important cities and States, enhancing connectivity and easing the burden on regular train services during this high-demand period.

The special trains are leaving from Bhubaneswar to Dhanbad and Yesvantpur; from Puri to Patna, Nizamuddin, Udhna (Surat), Kolkata, Gwalior, Santragachhi, Shalimar and Bhanjapur (Baripada); from Sambalpur to Erode; from Visakhapatnam to Secunderabad, Bengaluru, Tirupati, Chennai, Kollam, Shalimar and Araku. Apart from this, Brahmapur to Nanded, Secunderabad, Surat; Srikakulam to Secunderabad and Tirupati; from Cuttack to Hyderabad.

This apart, additional special trains have also been planned from Puri and Visakhapatnam to Patna and Madhubani respectively, in Bihar for Chhat Puja. The special trains are departing from various major stations. The stations include

  • Bhubaneswar to Dhanbad (Jharkhand) and Yesvantpur (Bengaluru)
  • Puri to Patna & Jayanagar (Bihar), Nizamuddin, Udhna (Surat), Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh), Kolkata, Santragachhi & Shalimar (West Bengal) and Bhanjapur (Baripada)
  • Sambalpur to Erode (Kerala)
  • Visakhapatnam to Secunderabad, Bengaluru, Tirupati, Chennai, Kollam (Kerala), Shalimar, Danapur (Bihar) and Araku
  • Brahmapur to Nanded (Maharastra), Secunderabad and Surat (Gujarat)
  • Srikakulam to Secunderabad and Tirupati
  • Cuttack to Hyderabad.