 "union electronics and information technology minister ashwini vaishnaw said the government was also planning to share the gpu compute capacity with some countries of the global south")
With the festival season already here and record crowds expected to travel, the Ministry of Railways has increased its target of special festival trains to 12,000 this year, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday.
“Since there’s a track construction record of over 4,000 kilometres (km) every year, along with steady locomotive and coach production, this year we have set a target of 12,000 special trains during Diwali and Chhath Puja,” Vaishnaw said in a media interaction in the national capital.
Last year, 7,724 special trains were operated by Indian Railways, which experienced high footfall at stations during the festival season. This year, the railways is aiming for a seamless experience for travellers during Diwali and Chhath Puja.
“Until today, 10,000 trains have been notified even before the arrival of peak season. Around 150 trains will be completely unreserved to cater to last-minute demand. In two to three days, 50 more trains will be notified,” the minister said.
The peak rush for the festival season is expected to start around October 15 and end around the second week of November, Vaishnaw said. The additional train movement will start around October 1 and continue until November 15, and the railways is fully prepared to handle the rush, he added.
On the introduction of the much-awaited long-distance Vande Bharat trains, Vaishnaw said that the Vande Sleeper is ready and tested. “One rake is already available, and we are awaiting the manufacturing of the second rake, which will be around mid-October. Routes and other details will be decided,” he said.
The Railway Board also sanctioned the 18-km Rajpura-Mohali new line at a cost of ₹443 crore, which had been a demand of the state for the past 50 years, Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu said at the interaction.
“Earlier, trains from Ludhiana had to go through Ambala to reach Chandigarh, adding extra distance and time. Now there will be a direct connection between Rajpura and Mohali, reducing travel distance by roughly 66 km,” Vaishnaw said.
A new Vande Bharat Express has also been proposed between Ferozepur and Delhi.
Trains roll on time as punctuality improves
Twenty-nine of the 70 railway divisions across the country reported 90 per cent punctuality in train operations this month, in what Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw called a reversal of historic trends in the Indian Railways.
This has been possible because of better infrastructure, planning, and smoother operations across the railway network, according to Indian Railways. A few divisions have performed with a punctuality rate of over 98 per cent.
