Demands rise for clone trains and extra general coaches to handle festival rush

Passenger associations have urged the Prime Minister and Western Railway to run clone trains and add general coaches during the Diwali and Chhath festival season. The Vadodara Railway Passengers Association stated that trains face heavy crowding during the first 15 days of the festivals, making travel difficult for workers who use general compartments. Passenger groups asked for special trains matching the schedules of regular services like the Ahmedabad-Darbhanga Sabarmati Express, Bandra-Barauni Awdh Express, and Ahmedabad-Patna Express, along with routes from Vadodara to Gorakhpur via Ratlam, Ayodhya, and Haridwar. They also proposed that passengers with unconfirmed tickets should get seats in clone trains, and requested new special services between Ankleshwar and Samastipur, Vadodara and Darbhanga, Vadodara and Mau, Ankleshwar and Raxaul, and Bharuch and Patna. Meanwhile, the Western Railway Passenger and Pass Holder Welfare Association asked the Western Railway general manager to add two to three extra general coaches to regular trains. In related moves to clear the holiday rush, Western Railway announced weekly unreserved special trains between Udhna and Jaynagar, including train numbers 09071 and 09073 running on October 18 and 25, 2026, with return trips on October 20 and 27.

Context

Festival seasons in India see massive travel demand as workers head back to their home towns, often causing severe overcrowding in regular trains. Railway authorities regularly introduce special services and extra coaches during peak holiday periods to manage the passenger rush.