Over 1.17 lakh bookings Central Railway’s Ganesh festival special trains

More than 1.17 lakh passengers have booked tickets on the reserved special trains announced by Central Railway to handle the increased travel demand for Ganesh Chaturthi, an official said on Monday.

Central Railway will operate 262 special train services from 9 September, connecting Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur with destinations across the coastal Konkan region and Goa. These will comprise 200 reserved and 62 unreserved services.

The reserved trains have recorded bookings from 1,17,682 passengers so far, the official said.

According to an official release, the 200 reserved services will include fully air-conditioned trains as well as services comprising air-conditioned, sleeper and general coaches.

Of the reserved trains, 112 will operate to Sawantwadi Road, 64 to Ratnagiri and 24 to Madgaon in Goa.

Central Railway has also announced several measures to manage the additional passenger traffic at major stations. These include extra ticket counters, designated holding areas and queue-management systems to facilitate orderly boarding.

Drinking water, food and toilet facilities will be provided to passengers with assistance from non-governmental organisations.

Additional Railway Protection Force personnel and ticket-checking staff will be deployed at important stations to strengthen security and ensure the smooth movement of passengers.

Travellers have been advised to arrive at stations at least 30 minutes before their scheduled departure to avoid a last-minute rush. They should also carry valid tickets and identification documents, Central Railway said.

With PTI inputs