Union Ministry of Railways has decided to run 14 special intra-state and long distance inter-state trains connecting the historic town of Sultanpur Lodhi from November 1, 2019, to meet the rush of pilgrims expected during the 550th prakash purb celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev.
These special passenger and express trains will facilitate devotees from Punjab and other regions, significantly Nanded and Patna Sahib, said an official spokesperson.
Earlier this month, the Centre had accepted the Punjab Government’s proposal to announce a special express train connecting New Delhi with Sultanpur Lodhi.
The State Government spokesperson said that the decision was taken accepting Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s request for special trains for Sultanpur Lodhi to meet the rush.
The spokesperson said that the ongoing works to upgrade the Sultanpur Lodhi Railway Station would be completed by the Railways before the historic celebrations scheduled to be held in November.
As per the communiqué issued by the Northern Railway, the Amritsar-Dera Baba Nanak diesel multiple unit (DEMU) would ply 60 times, between November 1 and 16, 2019, starting from Amritsar at 9:10 pm to reach Dera Baba Nanak at 2:30 am. Anticipating a heavy inflow of pilgrims, the Railways would also be running another train connecting the historic towns of Dera Baba Nanak daily and Sultanpur Lodhi, which would leave Dera Baba Nanak at 7:15 pm to reach its destination at 1:30 am. The frequency of the train would be doubled from November 4.
The Ferozepur-Patna Junction express would run thrice between November 1 to 16, 2019, departing from Patna Sahib at 10:45 pm on November 6, 10 and 16. For return journey, it would start from Ferozepur at 12:40 am on November 5, 9 and 14, to reach Nanded at 6:05 pm.
The weekly Ferozepur-Nanded express would start from Nanded on Saturday at 9 am and reach Ferozepur via Bhopal, Agra, and Bathinda at 10:50 pm.
It would depart for its return journey from Ferozepur on Thursday at 1:30 am and reach Nanded at 1 pm. The daily Hisar-Sultanpur Lodhi would run 28 trips during this period, as would the Sultanpur Lodhi to Ganganagar, Sultanpur Lodhi to Nawanshar Doaba, and Fazilka–Sultanpur Lodhi trains. Old Delhi-Lohian Khas would run 40 trips on alternate days, leaving Delhi at 11:50 pm on Mondays.
