Holi Travel Relief: 800 Special Train Services and Online Bus Bookings Launched

With train seats fully booked during Holi and airfares rising up to three times, the Railways has decided to run Holi special trains to provide relief to common passengers.

The railway has taken a significant decision regarding the lakhs of migrant workers returning to Bihar during Holi. The railway has decided to run special trains from major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Pune after regular trains become fully booked during the Holi season. In view of Holi, the railway has decided to operate special trains between March 1 and March 22. These Holi special trains, originating from stations under East Central Railway, will complete a total of 285 trips. Additionally, approximately 500 trips will be made through special trains from other stations in Bihar. According to railway sources, special trains made a total of 1,144 trips during Holi last year.

Special Trains are the Only Hope for Fully Booked Seats

Regular trains from major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Surat, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, and Secunderabad to Bihar are already fully booked. Most trains are showing "no room" status. For trains where bookings are still possible, the waiting list exceeds 100. Considering this, the railway has decided to operate special trains.

Airfares Have Increased

Airfare to and from Patna for Holi has increased by up to three times. The return fare from Delhi to Patna is higher than the fare to reach Patna. The situation is similar for other routes as well. On routes from Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, and Chennai, the minimum airfare to Patna is around ₹10,000. However, the return airfare from Patna to these cities has crossed ₹10,000. The fare to Pune has even exceeded ₹12,000.

Buses to Run from the 23rd

The Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) has decided to operate 200 inter-state buses from February 23 to March 23 for migrant Biharis living outside Bihar, in view of the Holi and Eid festivals. Ticket bookings for these festive buses have commenced. Online ticket booking for these buses started on Thursday. These buses will primarily operate on routes to states like Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Jharkhand. The Bihar State Road Transport Corporation will run the maximum number of 62 buses to Delhi, while 40 buses will run to Panipat and Ambala (Haryana), and 10 buses to Ranchi (Jharkhand). In Bihar, these buses will depart from major districts including Patna, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, and Gaya.

AC Buses Will Operate

The Bihar State Road Transport Corporation has decided to operate AC buses, sleeper, and AC-sleeper category buses on these routes to ensure passengers do not face any inconvenience. The state government is also offering special concessions on their fares.