Kolkata, Oct. 7 -- The Sealdah Division will run 51 special EMU services daily during the Durga Puja peak from October 16 to 21, up from 31 last year, to meet the expected rise in passenger traffic. Of these, 38 will operate overnight and 13 during evening peak hours across the Main, North and South sections.
The division will also operate 80 special long-distance train trips between October 10 and 25, compared with 50 during the corresponding period last year.
"If the crowd increases beyond the scheduled capacity, additional trains can be run as required. We will monitor the situation in real time and deploy available rakes to clear the crowd if necessary," Sealdah Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Rajeev Saxena said.
All special EMU services will stop at intermediate stations and halts. Galloping EMU services will also stop at all stations from 2 pm during the Puja days. Four pre-Puja special EMU services will run on the Sealdah-Ranaghat-Lalgola route from October 10 to 15.An experimental late-night EMU service between Sealdah and Budge Budge will start from October 12. The Down service will leave Sealdah at 10:55 pm and the Up service Budge Budge at 11:54 pm. Services between Shantipur and Krishnanagar City Junction will also increase from one pair to two pairs, while four AC EMU services will get experimental stoppages at Badkulla.
At Sealdah, designated entry and exit routes through Prafulla Dwar, North, Main, Central and South gates will regulate passenger movement. Platform-wise train nominations at Bidhannagar and Dum Dum will also be followed.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.