Kumbha is one of the biggest affairs in the country and to meet the demands of travellers, IRCTC has come up with 800 trains that will feature Kumbha logo and other mela-themed slogans and images. Most of the coaches of these trains will have slogans like ‘Kumbha Chalo’ against the backdrop of bare-bodied naga sadhus and devotees taking a dip in the holy water of Prayag.

According to North Central Railways General Manager Rajeev Choudhury, the regular train services to Allahabad will be increased by adding extra coaches to them along with introducing 800 special trains that will operate for three months, till the Kumbha Mela ends.

Indian Railways, on auspicious occasion or Ardha Kumbha, has decided to introduce 800 special trains, which is supposed to commence next month. State authorities are expecting more than 120 million visitors (which is nearly twice the population of Britain) this time in Allahabad, which recently has been renamed as Prayagraj. The festival celebrates the holy union of the three sacred rivers, namely Ganga, Yamuna and the fabled (non-visible) Saraswati.

To complete the tedious task of vinyl wrapping of special trains with Kumbha logos and pictures, national transporters have been hired. They have already started the wrapping work of 1,600 coaches of the 800 trains. A good number of national and international tourists are expected to come on some special days of the Ardh Kumbh, which is between January 15 and March 4, 2019.

Railways will also ensure the cleanliness in all these special trains via mechanised cleaning. Also, cleaning work has been outsourced to maintain neatness at the stations too. Along with this, there would be four big enclosures to accommodate about 10,000 pilgrims at the Allahabad railway station. These would feature LCD TVs, vending machines, water booths, CCTV cameras and toilets (separate for men and women).

source : timesofindia

1195 | November 28, 2018