NEW DELHI: Well Ahead of the festive season, Indian Railways is introducing a special Vande Bharat Express train that will run between Delhi and Patna, catering to the increased demand during Diwali and Chhath Puja. This exclusive service will offer fully reserved seating and will make a total of six trips.

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently announced a comprehensive plan for the festive season, including 283 festival special trains, which will collectively undertake 4,480 journeys.

As per Deepak Kumar, the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Northern Railways, the Vande Bharat Express with train number 02252 will depart from New Delhi at 7:25 AM and arrive at Patna Junction the same evening at 7:00 PM. This special service will be available on November 11, 14, and 16. For the return journey, train number 02251 will operate from Patna Junction to New Delhi on November 12, 15, and 17, departing at 7:00 AM and arriving in New Delhi at 7:00 PM. Along the way, it will make stops at Ara Junction (08:28 hrs), Buxar (09:28 hrs), Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Junction (10:28 hrs), Prayagraj (12:10 hrs), and New Delhi (19:00 hrs).

For the AC Chair Car coach from New Delhi (NDLS) to Patna (PNBE) on the Vande Bharat Express with train numbers 02252/02251, the fare is set at Rs. 2,355, while the AC Executive Chair Car coach is priced at Rs. 4,410.

Furthermore, during the festive season, the Eastern Central Railway plans to operate 42 trains, making a total of 512 trips, while the Western Railway will run 36 trains and complete a maximum of 1,262 trips.

In a press release, the Ministry of Railways stated, "Special Trains have been scheduled to connect major destinations across the country on railway routes such as Delhi-Patna, Delhi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Danapur-Saharsa, Danapur-Bengaluru, Ambala-Saharsa, Muzaffarpur-Yesvantpur, Puri-Patna, Okha-Naharlagun, Sealdah-New Jalpaiguri, Kochuveli-Bengaluru, Benaras-Mumbai, Howrah-Raxaul, etc." In 2022, Indian Railways had announced 2,614 trips of 216 Puja Special trains.

To accommodate the surge in travel demand during the festive season, the North Western Railway will manage a total of 24 trains, accounting for 1,208 trips.

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