Bhubaneswar: The Ministry of Railways has planned to run 315 special trains to and from Puri during the Car Festival of Lord Jagannath (Rath Yatra) for smooth travel and convenience of the pilgrims from July 6 to July 19.
Having experience from previous Rath Yatra festivals, East Coast Railway(ECoR) has planned to run Special Trains from different parts of Odisha and neighbouring states.
This year, Special Trains have been planned from Badampahad, Rourkela, Baleswar, Sonepur and Daspalla apart from Special trains from Junagarh Road, Sambalpur, Kendujhargarh, Paradeep, Bhadrak, Angul, Gunupur, Bangiriposi on Gundicha Yatra.
Special Trains have also been planned for Sandhya Darshan, Bahuda Yatra and Suna Vesha besides the the Adharapana Festival of Rath Yatra.
These apart, ECoR assured to run more Special Trains in view of rush and demands from devotees and decided to take necessary steps to provide reserved Class Accommodation in some of the long-distance Special Trains during the festival period.
Railway Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, while emphasizing the importance of improving passenger amenities and facilities during the Rath Yatra period, has advised ECoR for the provision of better convenience and benefits for the pilgrims and devotees.
East Coast Railway General Manager Parmeshwar Funkwal had inspected the Rath Yatra arrangement at Puri Railway Station and took stock of facilities being provided to the pilgrims.
Funkwal also instructed the concerned officials to complete the Rath Yatra arrangements and facilities much before the scheduled period of Rath Yatra.
The ECoR has taken initiatives for crowd management, Train Information System/ inquiry counters, Video Walls Display, Additional Ticket Booking Counters and Mobile Ticket Counters, Pilgrim Waiting Area/Shed to accommodate 15,000 pilgrims.
It has made security arrangements, catering & hospitality, medical facilities & ambulance, as well as the provision of power supply, water supply, cleanliness, security, drinking water, and sufficient toilets for the convenience of passengers, especially the pilgrims.
UNI