Northern Railway announces special trains to meet Holi rush

New Delhi: To manage the Holi rush, Northern Railway has announced a large number of special trains from the city's key stations, New Delhi, Old Delhi and Anand Vihar Terminal, connecting Delhi to major destinations across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and beyond. The special services started on Feb 20 and will continue until March-end to cater to lakhs of migrant workers and students travelling home. The New Delhi trains will cater to destinations such as Barauni, Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Khurda Road and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra. The special services from New Delhi to Barauni, Gorakhpur and Lucknow will help passengers heading towards eastern Uttar Pradesh and north Bihar.From Feb 22 to March 6, special trains will run between Varanasi and New Delhi, while similar services will be available between Hazrat Nizamuddin and Pune between Feb 28 and March 6. The New Delhi-Howrah special service will be offered from Feb 25 to March 3. Officials said Old Delhi station, given its connectivity to Purvanchal and Bihar-bound routes, is expected to handle a significant share of outbound passengers.Anand Vihar Terminal, which primarily caters to east and central India, will see the maximum number of special services connecting Danapur, Muzaffarpur, Jaynagar, Sitamarhi, Khurda Road and Gorakhpur, among others.Chief public relations officer Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay said the objective was to ease congestion on regular trains, many of which reported long waiting lists weeks before Holi. "The special trains were planned after reviewing booking trends and anticipated passenger demands. We appeal to passengers to book tickets only through authorised channels," said an official.A high-frequency special between Anand Vihar and Laukaha Bazar will have over two dozen trips. Special trains to Danapur and Muzaffarpur will run weekly. Special trains linking Delhi with Haridwar, Katihar and Ranchi are either originating from or passing through the city.