Special train to meet Chhath rush

Jamshedpur, Oct 29: Tatanagar railway administration is taking initiatives to cope with the rush of passengers going to various destinations for Chhath festival. With Chhath round the corner all Bihar-bound passenger trains either originating or passing through Tatanagar and long distance buses are witnessing a huge rush of passengers.

South Eastern Railway has decided to run a special train between Durg and Patna.The special train will run via various stations in Ranchi and Chakradharpur divisions. The train will leave Durg on November 7 while the return train will leave Patna on November 8.The 08893 Durg-Patna Special will leave Durg at 8.50 am and will reach Patna at 5 am , the next day.

In the return journey, 08894 Patna-Durg Special will leave Patna at 7 am and will arrive Durg at 5 am, the next day.The special train will comprise two composite coaches (2AC-cum-3 AC), four sleeper class and ten general second class coaches and will have stoppages at Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Hatia, Ranchi, Muri and Bokaro Steel City.

A Tatanagar station official said that they are taking extra care this time to provide relief to the commuters travelling in general coaches as they are the ones who have to bear the brunt of the menace created by some anti-social elements.

“Chhath is an important festival for the people of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. Every year people in large numbers visit their native places. We will make sure that we provide a comfortable journey to the commuters. We will also ensure that the commuters do not face any problem due to unwarranted behaviour of any anti-social elements,” noted the official.

Another official said that the facility of additional coaches would be provided till the rush reduces. Sources informed that in order to handle the rush of passengers during the festival season, the railway authorities have started monitoring the waiting list of commuters on a daily basis so that they could add extra coaches to the trains according to need.

U K Srivastava, a senior functionary, Chotanagpur Passengers Association, said that thousands of people from the steel city and other places visit Bihar during this time to celebrate Chhath with their families there, and as a result, getting reservations becomes difficult.