Published 23:51 IST, September 30th 2019
Punjab: Special trains to run for Guru Nanak's 550th birth anniversary
The Ministry of Railways has decided to run 14 special intra-state and long-distance inter-state trains for Sultanpur Lodhi to meet the rush of pilgrims
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The Ministry of Railways has decided to run 14 special intra-state and long-distance inter-state trains for Sultanpur Lodhi to meet the rush of pilgrims expected there during the 550th Prakash Purb celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev from November 1. This comes after the Chief Minister of Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh requested the Ministry of Railways for this special arrangement. According to reports, these special passenger and express trains will facilitate devotees from Punjab and other regions, significantly Nanded and Patna Sahib, an official spokesperson said on Monday.
According to reports, the ongoing work to upgrade the Sultanpur Lodhi railway station would be completed by the Railways before the historic celebrations scheduled to be held in November, the spokesperson said. Earlier this month, the Centre had accepted the state government's proposal to announce a special express train connecting New Delhi with Sultanpur Lodhi.
Special trains by the Northern Railway
As per the report issued by the Northern Railway, the Amritsar-Dera Baba Nanak diesel multiple units (DEMU) would ply 60 times, between November 1 and 16, starting from Amritsar at 9.10 p.m. to reach Dera Baba Nanak at 2.30 a.m. The Railways would also be running another train anticipating a heavy inflow of pilgrims connecting the historic towns of Dera Baba Nanak daily and Sultanpur Lodhi, which would leave Dera Baba Nanak at 7.15 p.m.to reach its destination at 1.30 a.m. The frequency of the train would be doubled from November 4.
The Ferozpur-Patna Junction Express would run thrice between November 1 and 16, departing from Patna Sahib at 10.45 p.m. on November 6, 10 and 16. For the return journey, it would start from Ferozpur at 12.40 a.m. on November 5, 9 and 14, to reach Nanded at 6.05 p.m. The weekly Ferozpur-Nanded Express would start from Nanded on Saturday at 9 a.m. and reach Ferozpur via Bhopal, Agra, and Bhatinda at 10.50 p.m. It would depart for its return journey from Ferozpur on Thursday at 1.30 a.m. and reach Nanded at 1 p.m.
Earlier on Saturday CM Amarinder Singh announced that on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the Punjab government would release 550 prisoners as a humanitarian gesture. Most of the prisoners were convicted by various courts in the country for offences committed during the militancy period in Punjab.
(With inputs from agencies)
18:16 IST, September 30th 2019