Due to this influx of passengers during the Rath Yatra, the Indian Railways have declared to run the largest number of special trains for the Jagannath Rath Yatra for the worshippers heading towards the Puri in Odisha for the globally renowned Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath. As stated by the Ministry of Railways, over 315 trains, which were special trains during the Rath Yatra period, connected Puri. This massive union is planned with the intention that no hitch should be faced by the pilgrims, and secondly, this year, a large number of pilgrims are expected to visit Puri.
To contend with the increasing passenger traffic, East Coast Railway (ECoR) has implemented the following measures. It is for this Rathyatra this year special trains originating from different places such as Badampahad, Rourkela, Balasore, Sonepur, Daspalla, and Paradip via Kendrapara have been arranged for the commuting of the pilgrims to and fro Puri. Also, Special trains for Jagannath Rath Yatra running from Jagadalpur Raipur in Chhattisgarh, Visakhapatnam Palasa and Sompeta in Andhra Pradesh, and Malda Town and Sealdah in West Bengal are also the services enlisted in the list.
The East Coast Railway has also arranged for the availability of reserved class accommodation to pave way for decent travel for the pilgrims in these particular special trains. The trains for Rath Yatra will have fewer haltings so that they run on time and take less time to reach the destination. Indeed, the upcoming trains broadly include the ones from Badampahad, Rourkela, Malda Town, Sealdah (Kolkata), and many others, where the reserved classes will also be available so that the traveling devotees may not find it too tiring or uncomfortable.
As evident from this year’s arrangements, Indian Railways advocate for the role played by the journey in religious and cultural practice through the provision of efficient and proper transport channels. The Special Trains for Jagannath Rath Yatra are put in place to cater to the likely increase in the traffic of pilgrim trains.
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