Railways facilitated a record voter turnout in Bihar’s assembly polls by running approximately 2,000 special trains and over three dozen unscheduled services during the Chhath festival. This initiative allowed citizens to celebrate and cast their votes, contributing to the state’s highest voter participation since 1951. An experimental round-trip package also saw significant bookings. File photo NEW DELHI: The running of special trains before and during the Chhath-Bihar assembly poll period not only allowed the state’s people to celebrate their biggest festival back home but also enabled them to cast their vote — the railways playing a part in the state reporting a record voter turnout (67%), the highest since 1951.The railways has run around 2,000 special trains from different states to Bihar, out of 12,000 such festival specials. The service is scheduled till the end of this month. In addition, over three dozen unscheduled and unreserved trains from across the country to Bihar were run during Chhath and the polls. Data showed that more than 50 out of the 55 unscheduled trains were bound for Bihar.NDA Sweeps Bihar, Nitish Kumar Prepares for 10th CM Oath; A Look Back at ‘Sushasan Babu’s’ JourneyMost of these unscheduled trains originated from the Northern Railway zone, including Delhi, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Karnal and Panipat. Some of these trains were operated just a couple of days before the two phases of the election — Nov 6 and Nov 11. Railway officials said running of both scheduled and unscheduled trains were as per norms.“Unscheduled special trains were put to service wherever there was a need for clearing increasing numbers of passengers at different stations after assessing demands. In unscheduled and unreserved trains, anyone can buy a ticket for travel,” an official said.The national transporter ran around two dozen of these unscheduled trains between Nov 3 and Nov 11. Officials claimed that the operations are as per requirement and they had announced to keep 2,000 such trains as standby for any emergency requirement. The number of scheduled special trains for the festive season in 2024 was around 7,000, and this year, nearly 70% more trains were operated for the benefit of passengers.It was also the first time when railways had announced an experimental scheme named as “Round Trip Package for the festival rush on discounted fare. Under this scheme, the booking start date was Aug 14 for onward travel between Oct 13 and Oct 26. The return journey ticket could be booked by using the connecting journey feature for the train between Nov 17 and Dec 1. A total of 21,687 round tickets for 33,950 passengers were booked under this scheme.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos’MMC’: PM Modi Mocks Congress After NDA’s Bihar Win; Calls It ‘Muslim League Maoist’ Party‘Abandoned Tribals To Their Fate’: PM Modi Accuses Congress Of Neglecting Tribal CommunitiesCDS General Anil Chauhan Highlights Inter-Service Jointness And Integration In Op SindoorEAM Jaishankar, Russian FM Lavrov To Hold Talks In Moscow On Nov 17 Ahead Of Putin’s India TripAir Marshal AK Bharti Reveals Why India Ended Operation Sindoor After Achieving Its Core ObjectiveWTO DG Okonjo-Iweala Lauds India’s Trade Strategy, Calls For Multilateral LeadershipPakistan Rejects Taliban Narrative And Says Rising Terror From Afghan Soil Can No Longer Be IgnoredNDA Sweeps Bihar, Nitish Kumar Prepares for 10th CM Oath; A Look Back at ‘Sushasan Babu’s’ JourneyPiyush Goyal Says India Ready For WTO Leadership, Rejects Reform Agendas Pushed By Developed NationsJ&K Police Confirm 9 Killed in Nowgam Blast After Explosives Recovered From Faridabad Blows Up123PhotostoriesMahesh Babu to Priyanka Chopra: 5 best celebrity looks of the day5 easy exercises for shoulder painreliefSmelling this fragrance can instantly improve focus and supercharge the brain, and no, it’s not coffee6 easy and science-backed snacks that fight colon cancerMold Toxicity: How to recognize its symptoms that appear like a common cold7 phrases parents can say instead of ‘No’ to kidsExclusive – Bigg Boss 19: Mridul Tiwari reacts to his eviction, calls Farrhana Bhatt ‘toxic’ and ‘evil’, and comments on Amaal Mallik’s image being ‘white-washed’Animal protein vs plant protein: Which is best for meeting the body’s nutritional needs?10 phrases parents should never tell a childHow to grow juicy beetroot in pots for a blooming balcony garden123Hot PicksAlinagar Election ResultRaghopur Election ResultBihar Election Result 2025Gold rate todaySilver rate todayPublic Holidays NovemberBank Holidays NovemberTop TrendingCarey Price WifeArjun TendulkarTyreek HillsDubai Prince Sheikh Hamdan Net WorthZack RyderPat NarduzziJack DohertyWayne Gretzkys SonDak PrescottPercy Harvin
NEW DELHI: The running of special trains before and during the Chhath-Bihar assembly poll period not only allowed the state’s people to celebrate their biggest festival back home but also enabled them to cast their vote — the railways playing a part in the state reporting a record voter turnout (67%), the highest since 1951.The railways has run around 2,000 special trains from different states to Bihar, out of 12,000 such festival specials. The service is scheduled till the end of this month. In addition, over three dozen unscheduled and unreserved trains from across the country to Bihar were run during Chhath and the polls. Data showed that more than 50 out of the 55 unscheduled trains were bound for Bihar.
Most of these unscheduled trains originated from the Northern Railway zone, including Delhi, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Karnal and Panipat. Some of these trains were operated just a couple of days before the two phases of the election — Nov 6 and Nov 11. Railway officials said running of both scheduled and unscheduled trains were as per norms.“Unscheduled special trains were put to service wherever there was a need for clearing increasing numbers of passengers at different stations after assessing demands. In unscheduled and unreserved trains, anyone can buy a ticket for travel,” an official said.The national transporter ran around two dozen of these unscheduled trains between Nov 3 and Nov 11. Officials claimed that the operations are as per requirement and they had announced to keep 2,000 such trains as standby for any emergency requirement. The number of scheduled special trains for the festive season in 2024 was around 7,000, and this year, nearly 70% more trains were operated for the benefit of passengers.It was also the first time when railways had announced an experimental scheme named as “Round Trip Package for the festival rush on discounted fare. Under this scheme, the booking start date was Aug 14 for onward travel between Oct 13 and Oct 26. The return journey ticket could be booked by using the connecting journey feature for the train between Nov 17 and Dec 1. A total of 21,687 round tickets for 33,950 passengers were booked under this scheme.