Northeast Frontier Railway adds festival trains for Diwali and Chhath Puja

Guwahati: Northeast Frontier Railway is running three pairs of special trains to handle the holiday crush. These 14 total trips connect Assam to various corners of the country for Diwali and Chhath Puja. The zonal railway announced the plan Wednesday, targeting routes between Podanur-New Tinsukia, Ludhiana-Purnea, and Tatanagar-Labha.

Train 06101 departs Podanur at 4.30 am on November 5 and 13, pulling into New Tinsukia three days later. The return service, Train 06102, leaves New Tinsukia at 10 pm on November 8 and 16. Each direction gets two trips.

Ludhiana-Purnea service runs under Train 04660, leaving at noon on November 5 and 9. Purnea-Ludhiana trains depart at 11.30 pm on November 6 and 10. These two pairs also account for two trips each way.

The Tatanagar-Labha route sees the most frequent service. Train 08181 leaves Tatanagar every Thursday from November 5 to 19 at 1 pm. The return train, 08182, departs Labha at 5.20 am each Friday from November 6 to 20. These three trips in each direction wrap up the expansion.

Check the IRCTC website for exact stops and timing. NFR is also pushing these updates through social media and newspapers. The railway issued a clear warning to commuters: "Passengers have been advised to verify the schedules and other relevant details before commencing their journeys."