BENGALURU: A comprehensive analysis of travel patterns and wait list trends helped the Bengaluru Division of South Western Railway (SWR) chalk out a massive plan to handle the Deepavali and Chhath Pooja rush as well as the long-weekend crowd. Based on the analysis, SWR is running 136 special trains (338 trips), 540 additional coaches, enhanced security, help desks, medical teams, and improved passenger guidance across major stations in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Hubballi divisions.
The division undertook an exercise on war-footing to identify train requirements, ensure timely maintenance and plan services to meet passenger demand effectively. The effort has resulted in the operation of over 95 special trains this Deepavali season—more than double the 36 run last year.
Trains have been deployed in all directions, covering destinations across Karnataka including Belagavi, Hubballi, Bidar, Karwar, Mysuru, and Vijayapura. Services were also optimized for heavy weekend rushes towards Tamil Nadu and Kerala, including Chennai, Kollam, and Tiruchirappalli, SWR added.
SWR also stated that recognizing long-distance travel needs, 20 trains have been operated to Patna and Danapur, with additional services to Gomtinagar, Rishikesh, Howrah, Santragachi, Tinsukia, and Narangi. Special trains have also been notified to Narsapur, Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, and Bilaspur.
To ensure safe travel, SWR has rolled out 136 special trains covering 338 trips and added 540 extra coaches across regular services. At major terminals—SMVT Bengaluru, KSR Bengaluru, Yesvantpur, and Krishnarajapuram—exclusive holding areas have been created with enhanced security, information counters, drinking water, seating, and live train updates via speaker systems and TV screens.