RAILWAYS PROVIDING SUCCOUR
There are various factors indicating that the Indian Railways’ top priority is the UT of J&K as every time there is an apprehension of heavy rush due to one reason or the other, the world’s largest passenger carrier and fourth freight carrier comes to the rescue of the passengers by adding an extra fleet of trains beforehand giving comfort and convenience to those who preferred rails over roads and skies. This time also, as the festive season is knocking the doors, the Northern Railway has come up with the panacea in the form of a bunch of special trains which would ease the rush and confirm hassle-free travel for those who intend to come or leave the UT in the festival time. The decision by the Northern Railway to run reserved festival special trains to and from Katra and Udhampur railway stations beginning September 30, 2022, is a farsighted endeavour by those sitting at helm of affairs because during the festivals there is huge rush of passengers because the people hailing from J&K and living in other parts of country usually come home and akin to this, those belonging to other states also return to have festivities along with their families in the home towns and cities. Besides, those visitors who utilize the spare time on account of holidays plan their visits to the holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi thus mounting more pressure on railways to ferry large number of people in the limited slot of time. Soon after the festivals are over there is a reverse rush of passengers as people have to join the duties back in their workplaces. To overcome this unprecedented addition of passengers, the Northern Railway always takes proactive steps and adding more trains dedicated for the purpose is the most effective way of catering to the needs of travelers as this is in vogue since last many years. In this context, a 20-coach biweekly (train number 01672/71) will run between ANVT (Anand Vihar Terminal, Delhi) and UHP (Udhampur Railway Station). Another 18-coach weekly (train number 01654/53) will run between SVDK (Katra Railway Station) and BSB (Varanasi Junction railway station) and the first trip of the train will start on October 2 from Katra Railway Station. Besides, a 20-coach tri-weekly (train number 01633/34) will ply between NDLS (New Delhi Railway Station) and UHP (Udhampur). The aforesaid trains and a few more will help in making it convenient for the train passengers to complete their journeys without any hassle.