Indian Railways will run six special festival train trips between Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal Bengaluru and Rangapara North in Assam to provide additional capacity during the Dasara, Diwali and Chhath Puja travel rush. The trains will operate via Duvvada and connect passengers travelling between Bengaluru, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and the Northeast.
Train No. 06559, the SMVT Bengaluru–Rangapara North Special Express, will depart from SMVT Bengaluru at 11.40 pm every Tuesday from October 20 to November 24. The service will reach Duvvada at 6.18 pm the following day before continuing towards Rangapara North. It will make six trips in total.
In the return direction, Train No. 06560, the Rangapara North–SMVT Bengaluru Special Express, will leave Rangapara North at 4.30 am every Saturday from October 24 to November 28. It will reach Duvvada at 3.08 pm on Sunday and then proceed to Bengaluru. This service will also operate six trips.
The trains will stop at Duvvada, Kottavalasa, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam Road, Palasa, Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Kharagpur, New Jalpaiguri and Rangiya, among other stations, in both directions. The route provides an additional rail option across several states during a period when demand for long-distance travel typically rises around major festivals.
According to railway officials, each service will have 23 coaches. The composition will include one AC two-tier coach, six AC three-tier coaches, 10 sleeper-class coaches, four general second-class coaches and two luggage-cum-Divyangjan coaches. The combination includes reserved air-conditioned and sleeper accommodation, unreserved seating and dedicated luggage and Divyangjan facilities.
The additional services are intended to ease the seasonal rush and give passengers more travel options on the Bengaluru–Northeast corridor. The arrangement also increases connectivity for passengers travelling through coastal and northern Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal before reaching destinations in Assam.
Railway authorities have urged passengers to use the special trains during the festive period. The first Bengaluru-bound service is scheduled to depart on October 20, while the return service will begin from Rangapara North on October 24.
