Indian Railways To Run 1,484 Summer Special Trains To Manage Holiday Rush

Summer holidays are all about the excitement of travel and long-awaited vacations. As temperatures rise and schools close for the season, thousands of people across India begin planning trips to their favourite destinations. This seasonal surge in travel typically leads to packed trains and long waitlists. Now, the Central Railway has announced the operation of 1,484 summer special trains to help manage the holiday rush. These services include 749 reserved and 735 unreserved trains. 

Within Maharashtra, trains will run on routes like Mumbai/Daund-Solapur, Pune-Kolhapur, Nashik Road-Badnera and Hadapsar-Harangal. For out-of-state travel, special trains will operate on routes including Mumbai-Ballia, Mumbai-Gorakhpur, Daund-Kalaburagi, Solapur-Kalaburagi and Anakapalle.

Railway officials said the move will help passengers plan ahead and avoid last-minute hassles during the peak summer season. The facilities across its network have also been upgraded as they implemented operational measures to manage the surge in demand.

Officials further shared that the detailed schedule and stoppage details for these special trains will be announced soon. The railways are also taking a new approach by using AI tools to analyse ticket searches, waiting lists and passenger demand. This will help them introduce more trains on high-demand routes if needed. For now, the plan is based on last year's travel data. However, the flexibility is there if they need to add more trains. 

Last month, the Railway Board reintroduced the emergency quota for Vande Bharat sleeper services and Amrit Bharat trains, after removing the facility in January. The previous order stated that berths will now be reserved for urgent travel in specific classes on premium long-distance trains. It was changed following a review of passenger demand, berth availability and operational needs of these services.