Hyderabad: Lack of adequate trains for Sankranti festival leads to uncertainty among passengers

Several train services are also either being diverted to Kumbh Mela or being cancelled for accommodating the special trains to Prayagraj.

Hyderabad: The lack of adequate train services from the South Central Railway (SCR) zone is leading to uncertainty in rail passengers particularly the migrant workers, techies and other employees mostly from the northern part of the country and two Telugu states ahead of the Sankranti festival.

This year, the festival coincides with the Kumbh Mela i.e., between January 13 to February 26, in Prayagraj and the SCR authorities have already announced running 18 special trains from the zone. More special trains are expected to be operated in view of the passenger rush and demand. However, there is no announcement of Sankranti special trains as yet.

---

Apart from this, several train services are also either being diverted to Kumbh Mela or being cancelled for accommodating the special trains to Prayagraj. Not only the last minute travellers, but also citizens, who usually plan their journeys in advance, are facing issues of non-availability of services.

As a result, the demand for alternate transportation including RTC and private buses, cars has increased and burning the pockets of citizens.

Several trains operating to Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka are seen fully occupied with long waiting lists.

Meanwhile, railway authorities say all necessary arrangements are being made to ensure rail passengers do not face any inconvenience. Measures are being taken to run adequate number of trains including additional coaches in view of the demand from passengers in all the necessary routes.