East Coast Railway Special Trains for Rath Yatra

East Coast Railway Special Trains for Rath Yatra

Puri to get 143 special trains for Rath Yatra

BHUBANESWAR: To accommodate all passengers heading to Puri for the nine-day Rath Yatra from June 25, the East Coast Railway (ECoR) has decided to run 143 special trains to the temple town.

The trains - Yatra Express Specials - will originate from Khurda, Bhubaneswar, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Paradip, Berhampur, Bhawanipatna, Keonjhar, Bangiriposi (Mayurbhanj), Palasa and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, Kharagpur, Shalimar (Kolkata) between June 25 and July 5.

As many as 28 trains will run to Puri for Gundicha Yatra (the first day of Rath Yatra) on June 25. A total of 56 trains will run between June 26 and July 2 for Sandhya Darshan. The zone has arranged 28 trains for Bahuda Yatra on July 3 and 28 trains for the Sunabesha ritual, which takes place on the day following Bahuda Yatra.

The ECoR will also run three trains on July 5.

On being asked about trains from other places such as Midnapore, Raipur, Rourkela and Jagdalpur, ECoR chief public relations officer JP Mishra said, "We are open to all proposals. In case there is a demand for special trains from these places, the same can be run, if feasible." He added that the railways would keep some coaches and engines on standby for deployment at short notice. The ECoR will open five additional enquiry counters, 35 additional ticket counters, 'May I Help You' booths and deploy additional ticket-checking staff at Puri station to tackle the rush. The pilgrim complex constructed during the Nabakalebara festival in 2015 would accommodate around 5,000 pilgrims, railway sources said.

Source:Times Of India