Three months ahead of Sankranthi, no seat left on AP-bound trains
HYDERABAD: Passengers trying to book train tickets from Hyderabad to various parts of Andhra Pradesh for the forthcoming Sankranthi were left shocked with several express and superfast trains getting packed three months ahead of the festival.
As per the status of IRCTC, online portal for rail tickets, trains heading from Secunderabad, Lingampally and Hyderabad to Vizag, Kakinada, Machilipatnam, Narsapur and Nellore were full till January 12 and 13. That’s not all, thousands of passengers are on the waiting list and the chances of ticket confirmation on the above mentioned dates are bleak unless the railways augment coaches.
Usually IRCTC allows passengers to book tickets four months prior to their schedule. With this, tickets of major trains like Godavari Express and Goutami Express from the city to coastal Andhra, were sold out within a few days.
The demand for sleeper class tickets on Godavari Express is such that the general waiting list is between 300 and 400 during January 10 and 13. The situation is no different on Cocanada Express, Duronto Express, Padmavati Express, Simhapuri Express, and Machilipatnam Express. Even those trains going to other States like Odisha, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu are full during Sankranthi as they pass through Andhra Pradesh.
In fact, the Sankranti festive season gives a big boost the eranings of the railways, which sees record passenger booking. Moreover, it also increases the platform ticket in major railway stations to control the passenger rush. Those planning to travel from the city to Andhra Pradesh for Sankranti will have to hurry up to book their tickets as the length of waiting list gets longer with each passing day.
SCR to run 10 special train services for Diwali
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