Spiritual Express: Indian Railways Rolls Out Red Carpet for Shravani Pilgrims

With Shravani Mela, the holy festival, close at hand, Indian Railways has announced an extensive network of special trains to ensure unbroken journey for lakhs of pilgrims coming to Baba Baidyanath Dham at Deoghar and Sultanganj. Since the month-long festival is expected to begin from July 11, preparations are in full swing to meet the massive rush of pilgrims.

Key Highlights:

Special Train Services: Eastern Railway will operate a series of unreserved special trains like Asansol-Patna Shravani Mela Special (Train No. 03511/03512) from 11th July to 9th August on select days of the week. The trains will depart from Asansol at 5 PM and arrive at Patna the following day at 1:30 PM, and depart from Patna at 10:30 AM and arrive at Asansol at 7 PM. Onward and return trips will run via major stations like Chittaranjan, Madhupur, and Jasidih, with 20 general coaches for maximum carrying capacity of pilgrims and passengers.

Extended Network: Four special train pairs will run between Deoghar and Sultanganj, and eight regular trains will stop at Sultanganj for two minutes, providing the people of the region as well as pilgrims better connectivity.

Huge capacity: More than one lakh seats are planned on different routes, such as Jaynagar-Asansol, Raxaul-Deoghar, Patna-Madhupur, Gaya-Madhupur, and Gorakhpur-Deoghar. Important stations like Bhagalpur, Sultanganj, and Jasidih will have increased halts and crowd control.

Pilgrim Focus: The longer halts and special trains are meant for the safety and comfort of Kanwariyas and other pilgrims, with tight monitoring by the Railway Board and Eastern Railway.

This robust railway project ensures hassle-free pilgrim experience for the millions expected at Shravani Mela this year.

Sources: Live Hindustan, Times of India, Economic Times