Kolkata: To accommodate the surge in passenger traffic ahead of the Ratha Yatra, South Eastern Railway (SER) will operate special trains between Panskura and Digha from June 25 to July 10.
According to SER, the Panskura-Digha Special will depart from Panskura at 7 am and reach Digha at 9:20 am. The return train from Digha will leave at 9:30 am, arriving back at Panskura by 11:50 am. These trains will halt at all stations along the route.
Digha is expected to draw large crowds this year, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee scheduled to visit the seaside town on June 26. She will formally inaugurate the Ratha Yatra celebrations on June 27 by ceremonially pulling the chariot ropes of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra at the newly-constructed Jagannath Dham temple. Meanwhile, SER has extended the operation of several other special trains. Two pairs of specials between Santragachi and Digha will now run until September 27 and 28, respectively, while services between Bhanjpur and Puri have been extended up to August 30 and 31.
The Hatia-Durg Special will continue operating until September 30, with its return leg running until October 1. Similarly, the Santragachi-Ajmer Special will run until July 28, and its return service from Ajmer will be available until July 31. The Shalimar-Bhanjpur Special has also been extended to August 30, with the return trip continuing until September 1.
In addition, SER has announced a series of Ratha Yatra special trains to Puri from various locations including Santragachi, Rourkela, Badampahar, Birmitrapur, Bangriposi, Baleshwar and Barbil. These trains will run between June 25 and July 4, with return journeys scheduled between June 27 and July 6, depending on the route.