New Delhi: The Mahakumbh Mela is the largest religious gathering in India and one of the largest in the world. It takes place every 12 years and this year, it has begun from January 13 and will end on February 26. It is being hosted in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, a holy place where the sacred rivers Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati meet, forming the Triveni Sangam. It is a popular belief that if one takes a bath at the Mahakumbh, then all sins will go away and the person will attain salvation.
Crores of people are attending the Mahakumbh and both the Centre and the state government have taken all measures to facilitate comfort and security of the pilgrims. The Indian Railways has made considerable preparations for the smooth travel of passengers and as per reports, the government has set aside Rs 5,000 crore to upgrade railway infrastructure and manage the huge influx of pilgrims. Also, Union Minister Jitendra Singh has ordered that operation of special train services including three trains between Katra and Prayagraj.
Indian Railways and the smooth travel of passengers
Keeping the Mahakumbh in mind, the Indian Railways is focusing on increasing train services and improving stations. It will operate more than 13,000 trains including 3,000 special trains which will connect major cities to Prayagraj. Also, passengers’ safety measures have been increased as more than 1,000 CCTV cameras have been installed at the stations.
Indian Railways and key train services
The first special train between Katra and Prayagraj train will leave Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra railway station on January 24. Also, regional railways have introduced some special trains. The Western Railway has introduced 98 special trains and the Northern Railway is running 300 trains including 80 special services.
Special trains from Odisha
There is a train between Bhubaneswar and Tundla which will run every Wednesday till February 26.
- There is a train between Puri and Tundla which will operate every Monday till February 17.
- There is a train between Titilagarh and Tundla and it will run every Thursday until February 27.
- There is a train between Visakhapatnam and Gorakhpur and it will run every Sunday until February 16.
Train routes from major cities
To ensure smooth travel of passengers, special trains will operate from various cities to Prayagraj.
- The train from Delhi to Prayagraj will go via New Delhi, Agra and Kanpur.
- The Kolkata-Prayagraj train will travel through Asansol, Howrah and Patna.
- The trains from Bihar and Jharkhand will go directly from Darbhanga, Ranchi and Patna.
Bandra Terminus to Gorakhpur train
Train no 05054 will leave Mumbai’s Bandra Terminus at 9:20 pm every Saturday and will reach Gorakhpur at 6:45 am on Monday. Train no 05053 will leave Gorakhpur at 7:50 am every Friday and will reach Bandra Terminus at 6 pm on the next day.
Prayagraj and ring rail services
There will be ring rail services around Prayagraj on key routes like Prayagraj-Sangam Prayag-Jaunpur-Prayag-Prayagraj, Prayagraj-Ayodhya-Varanasi-Prayagraj, Govindpuri-Prayagraj-Chitrakoot-Govindpuri and Jhansi-Govindpuri-Prayagraj-Manikpur-Chitrakoot-Jhansi.
To go to the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj, one can book tickets at the IRCTC website and app and group bookings will get the priority. For the smooth experience of pilgrims, the Indian Railways has also deployed help desks, food stalls, and medical assistance at stations.
The Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj is seeing a massive influx of pilgrims. Indian Railways has responded by deploying over 13,000 trains, including 3,000 special services, connecting major cities to Prayagraj. Special trains have been introduced from various locations, including Odisha and Mumbai. Biz News Business News – Personal Finance News, Share Market News, BSE/NSE News, Stock Exchange News Today
