Railways will operate weekly special trains on the Mumbai-Bengaluru and Visakhapatnam-Bengaluru routes to handle the expected increase in passenger demand during the Puja, Diwali and Chhath festival season.
Central Railway will run a special service between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai and Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal (SMVT) in Bengaluru, while South Coast Railway will operate another weekly special between Visakhapatnam and SMVT Bengaluru.
Mumbai-Bengaluru special to run 7 trips
Train No. 01013 CSMT Mumbai-SMVT Bengaluru Special will depart CSMT at 12:35 am every Saturday from October 10 to November 21. It will reach SMVT Bengaluru at 11:55 pm on the same day.
The return service, Train No. 01014 SMVT Bengaluru-CSMT Mumbai Special, will leave Bengaluru at 4:30 am every Sunday from October 11 to November 22 and arrive at CSMT Mumbai at 4:05 am the following day.
The service will stop at major stations including Dadar, Thane, Kalyan, Lonavala, Pune, Satara, Karad, Sangli, Miraj, Belagavi, Dharwad, Hubballi, Haveri, Davangere, Birur, Arsikere and Tumakuru.
The train will make seven trips in each direction and will have 22 coaches, comprising two AC Two-Tier coaches, 18 AC Three-Tier coaches and two luggage-cum-guard-cum-generator vans.
Visakhapatnam-Bengaluru special to operate for 8 trips
South Coast Railway will operate Train No. 08583 Visakhapatnam-SMVT Bengaluru Weekly Express Special every Tuesday from October 6 to November 24. The train will leave Visakhapatnam at 7 pm and reach SMVT Bengaluru at 12:45 pm the following day.
In the return direction, Train No. 08584 SMVT Bengaluru-Visakhapatnam Weekly Express Special will depart Bengaluru at 3:50 pm every Wednesday from October 7 to November 25 and arrive at Visakhapatnam at 1:30 pm on Thursday.
The train will halt at Duvvada, Anakapalle, Samalkot Junction, Rajahmundry, Eluru, Vijayawada Junction, Ongole, Nellore, Gudur Junction, Renigunta Junction, Katpadi Junction, Jolarpettai Junction, Bangarapet Junction and Krishnarajapuram.
The service will operate for eight trips in each direction and will comprise 19 coaches, including two AC Two-Tier coaches, four AC Three-Tier coaches, seven Sleeper Class coaches, four General Second Class coaches, one brake-cum-luggage-cum-generator car and one Second Class-cum-luggage-and-brake van with a Divyangjan-friendly compartment.
The additional services are intended to provide more travel options for passengers travelling between western, eastern and southern parts of the country during the festive season.