Prayagraj Division to launch special MEMU trains for Kumbh Mela devotees

Prayagraj (UP), Oct 10 (PTI) The Prayagraj Division of North Central Railway will launch a fast ring MEMU service for devotees attending the Kumbh Mela, providing connectivity to Ayodhya's Ram Temple and Varanasi's Baba Vishwanath Temple, officials said.

The service, starting from Prayagraj to Varanasi and Ayodhya, will operate daily except during the main bathing festivals, Divisional Railway Manager Himanshu Badoni said.

He said that two Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) services -- one towards Varanasi and the other towards Ayodhya -- will be available from Prayagraj every day.

This is the first time such a service is being introduced for the Kumbh Mela, he added.

During peak days of the Kumbh Mela, 825 trains will be operated for short-distance travel (up to 200 km), compared to 694 trains in the last Kumbh Mela (2019), Bhadoni said. For long distance travel, North Central Railway has approved 400 trains, totalling 1,225 trains during the fair, the officer said.

He said that the railway's special emphasis is on minimizing the possibility of disaster, for which three zones of the railway - North Central Railway, Northern Railway and Northeast Railway are being prepared on a war footing.

Additonally, 21 railway overbridges or underbridges will be operational in Prayagraj before the Kumbh Mela to reduce congestion, Bhadoni said. An integrated mela control tower has also been set up at Prayagraj Junction for crowd control.

A toll-free number, 1800-4199-139, will be available from November 1 to provide passengers with information in their mother tongue, Badoni said, adding that they will be able to avail information about all kinds of facilities on this number.

Around 8,000 employees, including 2,200 Railway Protection Force personnel, will deployed from other districts to ensure the convenience and safety of devotees, the officer said.

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