In view of the upcoming festival of Makar Sakranti, the South-Central Railway is set to run 150 special trains to combat the heavy rush during the festival, said South Central Railway Chief Public Relations
Officer (CPRO) A. Sridhar.
In response to strong demands from Hyderabad to Coastal Andhra Pradesh, the South-Central Railway has also announced additional trains from Narsapuram, Kakinada, Srikakulam, and Vizag, he said, as cited by news agency ANI.
“We’ve announced 150 special trains. There is huge demand from Hyderabad to Coastal Andhra Pradesh, so we have also announced connecting trains from Narsapuram, Kakinada, Srikakulam and Vizag,” he told the outlet.
In addition to the special services, “around 600 plus trains are being continued for Sankranti,” ensuring connectivity to the North, East, and South regions of India during the festive rush.
Huge rush at Secunderabad
CPRO Sridhar also alerted the passengers about likely inconvenience at Secunderabad Railway Station due to the ongoing construction work. “There is a huge rush expected at Secunderabad railway station. Moreover, it is undergoing redevelopment works, so it may create a problem for passengers coming into the station”, he said, as quoted by ANI.
In order to tackle the situation and manage the crowd, several trains have been shifted to different terminals, including Charlapalli, Kacheguda or Lingampalli, he added.
“We have high-tech cities, important stations, cities growing towards that area, the Western part of that city. In view of the festival season, we have announced the suspension of 16 regular mail express trains. In addition, many special trains are also being halted at high-tech city stations. Additionally, trains from coastal Andhra Pradesh depart from this region. So these trains, we have given halt at Charlapalli, Secunderabad, Begumpet, high tech state, Lingampalli, so that across the city, passengers can reach their nearest railway station to catch hold of the trains”, he said.
The festival of Makar Sankranti, the solar transition marking the beginning of Uttarayana, is typically observed on January 14. However, in several parts of the country, it is celebrated on January 15.
