ECoR to run 59 special trains for fest

BHUBANESWAR: To meet the extra rush of passengers during Rath Yatra, the East Coast Railway (ECoR) has decided to run at least 59 special trains from different parts of Orissa, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. The special trains will be exclusive of the existing ones running to Puri. During ‘Sandhya Darshan’, ‘Bahuda Yatra’ and ‘Suna Vesha’ too, special trains will ply to the Pilgrim Town. Apart from this, six trains will be rescheduled and one pair of trains extended to Puri instead of its destination stations, ECoR sources said.  Special trains will operate from inside the State connecting Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Ganjam, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur and Gajapati. The ECoR has also arranged to run trains from Cuttack and Khurda Road. Besides, trains from West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh will ferry devotees to Puri. In view of the extra arrangements, the railway authorities have decided to cancel 10 local passenger trains on Rath Yatra day. Similarly, six trains will remain cancelled on July 11, the Bahuda Yatra day. The next day, observed as Sandhya Darshan, one more train will be cancelled in view of special arrangements.