Jaipur: Anticipating a surge in travel during the Durga Puja, Dussehra and Diwali festive season, North Western Railway (NWR) has announced 13 pairs of special trains and extended the services of 25 pairs of existing special trains. Despite these measures, demand continues to outstrip availability, with many trains running full and passengers facing lengthy waiting lists.A visit by TOI to the reservation office at Jaipur Junction on Saturday revealed heavy crowds, with many travellers receiving wait-listed tickets for upcoming journeys.“I am travelling to Ahmedabad for Navratri. I booked my ticket for Oct 12, but it is still on the waiting list. I hope it gets confirmed. Even if it doesn’t, I may still take the chance and travel,” said Aniket Bhatt, a Jaipur-based private sector employee originally from Ahmedabad.According to NWR’s festive plan, the 13 pairs of special trains will make 264 trips. “We are running 13 pairs of trains which will connect Rajasthan with several major destinations across the country, including Prayagraj, Patna, Gorakhpur, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Mumbai, Chennai and other cities. Services have been planned from or extended at stations such as Jaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Bikaner, Sikar and Sanganer, providing additional connectivity for passengers travelling home or visiting religious and family destinations,” said an officer.Among the newly announced services are trains connecting Prayagraj with Sikar, Ajmer with Ranchi, Jodhpur with Danapur, and Howrah with Khatipura in Jaipur.Despite these measures, the availability of confirmed berths remains a concern for passengers during the peak travel period. High demand on popular routes has resulted in waiting lists, prompting calls for more capacity to be added wherever possible.“We are operatimg adequate trains and also extended some of the summer specials to meet the festive rush, and more trains are likely to be introduced to accommodate the rush,” said NWR chief public relations officer Amit Sudarshan.He added that apart from 13 pairs of trains, the operation of another 16 pairs of special trains already running has been extended till November-end.Authorities said that as the festival is approaching, more trains are likely to be added to the list of special trains.
