One crore devotees expected to travel by train for 2028 Kumbh mela in Ujjain: Railway Board chief

Indore, Jun 24 (PTI) Railway Board chairman Satish Kumar said on Tuesday that about one crore devotees are expected to travel by train to participate in the Simhastha Kumbh Mela to be held in Ujjain in 2028 and 100 special trains will be operated.

The Simhastha Kumbh Mela is organised on the banks of the Kshipra river every 12 years in Ujjain, the abode of Lord Mahakal.

"In the last Simhastha Kumbh Mela (held in 2016), about 20 lakh people reached Ujjain by train. We estimate that in 2028, this number is going to increase five times to reach around one crore. In view of this, we will run 100 special trains in addition to regular trains," Kumar told reporters in Indore.

He said Ujjain and other stations, including Indore, Mhow, and Laxmibai Nagar, are being strengthened to handle the influx of Kumbh Mela passengers.

Kumar said 22 new lines are being laid at Ujjain and nearby railway stations to make arrangements for parking of trains for the biggest religious congregation. He said nine of these lines are being laid in Ujjain alone.

"We assure you that due to excellent arrangements, the train journey during the Simhastha Kumbh Mela will always be memorable for the passengers," he added.

Earlier, Kumar inspected the Indore railway station and reviewed various projects of the Ratlam Railway Division.

He said a 132-km-long railway line will be laid in this financial year under the Indore-Dahod project, out of which the laying of a 32-km-long line has been completed.

Kumar said the laying of the entire line on the Indore-Dahod route could be extended to three years due to the difficult terrain beyond 132 km.

The total length of this ambitious railway project connecting Indore to Dahod in Gujarat is 205 km. Its foundation was laid in the year 2008. PTI HWP MAS NSK