Indian Railways announces 283 festival special trains for Diwali, Chhath puja. Details here

Indian Railways has announced 283 festival special trains for Diwali and Chhath Puja. According to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the special trains will make 4,480 trips during the festival season.

According to the Indian Railways, the Eastern Central Railway will operate 42 trains which will make a maximum of 512 trips, and the Western Railway will operate 36 trains during the festival season time and will make a maximum of 1,262 trips.

The North Western Railway will operate 24 trains and will make 1,208 trips.

List of Railway zones and a number of special trains notified during the festive season:

• Central Railway (CR): 14
• Eastern Central Railway (ECR): 42
• Eastern Coast Railway Zone (ECOR): 12
• Eastern Railway (ER): 8
• Northern Railway (NR): 34
• North Eastern Railway (NER): 4
• NFR: 22
• North Western Railway (NWR): 24
• Southern Railway (SR): 10
• South Eastern Railway (SER): 8
• South Central Railway (SCR): 58
• South Western Railway (SWR): 11
• Western Railway (WR): 36

Additionally, the Railways has launched a special drive to curb the menace of ticketless travelling and facilitate the comfortable journey to genuine passengers during the upcoming festival season.

The Railway Board has advised the zones to instruct the ticket-checking staff to ascertain the genuineness of passengers by checking valid prescribed proof of identity.

Govt announces Diwali bonanza for Railway employees:

The union government has grantedapproval for a Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB) that amounts to 78 days wages for eligible non-gazetted Railway employees for Fy 20233-23.

The Union Government has sanctioned a PLB totalling ₹1,968.87 crores, which will be disbursed to approximately 1,107,346 railway employees.