Advertisement

Central Railway Will Add More Interstate Trains as Passenger Figures Soar


Central Railway Will Add More Interstate Trains as Passenger Figures Soar
SHARES

With demand for train services seeing a surge over the past few weeks, railways will add new special trains from Mumbai to multiple states across India. Officials said that the number of passengers with tickets to states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and others has increased significantly. 

Keeping this in mind, railway officials are conducting screening of passengers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Kurla Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT). Earlier this week, Central Railway (CR) added special trains from Mumbai to Gorakhpur, Patna, Darbhanga, Faizabad, Karaikal, Burhanpur, Bhusaval, Khandwa and from Pune to Danapur. 

A majority of these train routes will be part of the Mumbai-Gorakhpur Special train which will commence operations from April 7 and April 13 with multiple stops in cities and towns on its path. Meanwhile, the Mumbai-Patna Special Superfast will start running from CSMT beginning April 12, CR said.

ReadMumbai: Western And Central Railway Report Decline In Passenger Numbers

Additionally, the Kurla LTT-Faizabad train will run twice a week starting from April 14 while the Kurla LTT-Karaikal Weekly Special will run from the 17th of April onwards. CR officials also said that the wedding season in the coming months is expected to increase passenger figures considerably. As per CR, a majority of these trains will consist of 18 to 20 non-AC sleeper and second seating coaches. 

“This time the reverse migration is not sudden like last year where people are travelling without tickets. All these people are passengers with valid tickets. They are being asked to form proper queue and then after checking being allowed to enter,” a CR official said. 

Migration appears to be hurting Mumbai’s taxi and auto-rickshaw services with drivers’ unions in the city mentioning that several drivers have left town. The number of cabs on aggregator services like Uber and Ola is also witnessing a decline. 

Also readCentral Railway Booked 24,500 Ticketless Passengers So Far This Year

The fresh guidelines put in place by the state government do not permit more than 50 per cent capacity for kaali-peelis (black and yellow taxis) and cab aggregator services while only two passengers are allowed to travel in autorickshaws.

While around 1.50 lakh drivers ferry passengers on kaali-peelis in Mumbai, the number has reportedly dipped by around 50 per cent with a further reduction expected in the coming days.

AL Quadros, a senior trade union leader said, “The number of taxis on the road has come down to 15,000 or so. Many of our drivers have or are returning to their hometowns over fear of another lockdown.” 

ReadLong Distance MEMU Trains From Maharashtra To Start From April 7

RELATED TOPICS
Advertisement
MumbaiLive would like to send you latest news updates