New Delhi: Railways has given relief news for the passengers preparing to go to Bihar on Diwali and Chhath. In view of the increasing crowd in trains during festivals, eight pairs of special trains have been announced for Bihar from different cities. On the other hand, as soon as advance booking of regular trains opened, many passengers complained of problems on the IRCTC website and mobile app. During booking, many people saw messages like ‘High System Load’, ‘Error’ and ‘Regret’.
What happened on IRCTC as soon as ticket booking opened?
Complaints from passengers started coming in just minutes after ticket booking for the festival started. Many people told on social media that they were trying to book tickets since 8 am, but the website or app was getting stuck again and again. Some people got the message of high system load while others got the message ‘Regret’ written in front of them. Some passengers said that until the website was up and running, seats were not available.
How did the seats get filled so quickly?
There is huge crowd in trains going to Bihar every year during Diwali and Chhath. This time too, passengers had started preparing for tickets even before the advance reservation window opened. Under the current rules of Railways, tickets can be booked 60 days before the date of journey in normal trains and booking starts at 8 am. Booking for the 12 November journey opened on 13 September.
In many trains, the waiting list in some classes became longer soon after the booking started. In such a situation, special trains can become an important option for those passengers who did not get confirmed seats.
Which special trains will run for Bihar?
Railways has announced eight pairs of trains on different routes. These include services from Delhi to Sitamarhi, Rishikesh to Muzaffarpur, Chandigarh to Patna, Firozpur Cantt to Patna and Anand Vihar to Jogbani, Muzaffarpur, Patliputra and Laukha Bazaar. These trains will be operated on different dates from the end of September to the end of November.
What will be the benefit to those going to Bihar from Chandigarh-Punjab?
It has also been decided to run a special train between Chandigarh and Patna. This service will run every Thursday from October 1 to November 26. In return, the train from Patna to Chandigarh will run every Friday from October 2 to November 27. Similarly, the train from Firozpur Cantt to Patna will run on Tuesday and from Patna to Firozpur Cantt on Wednesday.
What are the options for those going from Delhi to Bihar?
Additional trains have been provided from Delhi and Anand Vihar to many cities of Bihar. Apart from Delhi to Sitamarhi, trains will run from Anand Vihar to Jogbani and Muzaffarpur. A daily special train has also been announced between Anand Vihar and Patliputra. The service from Anand Vihar to Laukaha Bazaar will start from September 16.
Can more special trains be increased further?
The festive season has just begun and passenger demand is expected to increase continuously. Railways has also indicated that the number of additional trains on other routes can be increased as per the need. In such a situation, the advice for the passengers going to Bihar is to keep checking the availability of tickets and the schedule of special trains on the official channels of IRCTC and Railways.
