Nov 3: During the festive season, Indian Railways will operate the Patna-New Delhi Special Vande Bharat Express, which is fully reservation-based, for a total of six trips to meet the increased demand.
Earlier, 283 festival special trains were announced for Diwali and Chhath Puja, and according to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, these special trains will make 4,480 trips during the festival season.
The Vande Bharat Express train with the number 02252, travelling from New Delhi to Patna Junction, will commence its journey at 7:25 AM and reach Patna the same evening at 7:00 PM on November 11, 14, and 16, as informed by Northern Railways.
The reservation-based Train number 02251, known as the Vande Bharat train, will operate on November 12, 15, and 17 for its return trip from Patna Junction to New Delhi. Departing from Patna Junction at 7:00 AM in the morning, the train is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi on the same evening at 7:00 PM. Along the way, it will make stops at Ara Junction at 08:28 hrs, Buxar at 09:28 hrs, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Junction at 10:28 hours, Prayagraj at 12:10 hrs, and finally New Delhi at 19:00 hours.
For the special Vande Bharat Express, which operates with train numbers 02252/02251 between New Delhi and Patna, the fare for the AC Chair Car coach from New Delhi (NDLS) to Patna (PNBE) is set at ₹2355. Alternatively, for the AC Executive Chair Car coach, the fare is ₹4410.
According to the Indian Railways, the Eastern Central Railway will operate 42 trains, making a maximum of 512 trips. Similarly, the Western Railway will operate 36 trains during the festival season, with a maximum of 1,262 trips. In a press release, the Ministry of Railways announced the planning of Special Trains to connect major destinations across the country.
These routes include Delhi-Patna, Delhi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Danapur-Saharsa, Danapur-Bengaluru, Ambala-Saharsa, Muzaffarpur-Yesvantpur, Puri-Patna, Okha-Naharlagun, Sealdah-New Jalpaiguri, Kochuveli-Bengaluru, Benaras-Mumbai, and Howrah-Raxaul. In 2022, Indian Railways had notified 2614 trips of 216 Puja Special trains.
To meet the travel demand during the festive season, the North Western Railway will manage a total of 24 trains, amounting to 1,208 trips. The Railway Board has recommended that the railway zones instruct their ticket-checking personnel to verify the authenticity of passengers by checking valid and authorized proof of identity.
