Railways to run 7,000 special trains for Chhath Puja, Diwali
What's the story
The Indian Railways is all set to run 7,000 special trains for the upcoming festival season.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the trains will carry an additional two lakh passengers daily for Diwali and Chhath Puja.
The Western Railway (WR) has planned "2602 trips of 73 pairs of Festival Special Trains," starting from cities such as Mumbai, Surat, Udhna, Ahmedabad and Vadodara.
Additional services
Northern Railway to operate over 3,000 special trips
Meanwhile, the Northern Railway (NR) will run around 3,050 trips to accommodate travelers going to eastern parts of India.
The large number of trains is attributed to the large number of passengers traveling to these regions during this time.
The decision to increase services this year was taken in light of the increase in passengers, with a railway official saying that "4,500 special trains were run during Diwali and Chhath Puja last year."
Infrastructure expansion
Cabinet approves railway projects worth ₹6,798 crore
In other news, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved two railway projects worth ₹6,798 crore.
The projects will expand the railway network by about 313km across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Bihar.
The New Line project will connect around 168 villages and a population of about 12 lakh with nine new stations.
Rural impact
Multi-tracking project to improve connectivity in Bihar
The multi-tracking project, on the other hand, seeks to enhance connectivity in Bihar's Sitamarhi and Muzaffarpur districts.
The project is expected to benefit around 388 villages and a population of about nine lakh.
These routes are important for the movement of commodities such as agricultural products, fertilizer, coal, iron ore, steel and cement.