Prayagraj Kumbh Mela 2019: Indian Railways Proposes To Run 800 Special Trains

The Indian Railways has proposed to run 800 special trains from various stations of Prayagraj district in order to facilitate the arrival of tourists for Prayagraj Kumbh Mela 2019, a religious fair that will be held from January 15, 2019 to March 4, 2019, news agency Press Trust of India quoted an official as saying on Sunday. Later in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be reaching Prayagraj to inaugurate the temporary structures in the Kumbh Mela area, according to the official website of Prayagraj Kumbh Mela 2019 kumbh.gov.in.

Indian Railways to run special trains for Pravasi Bhartiyas

North Central Railway (NCR) PRO NCR Amit Malviya said, "Six special trains will come to Allahabad from different railway zones of the country for pilgrims and tourists participating in the Kumbh Mela."
The 800 special trains, to be run during the Kumbh Mela, will be in addition to the regular ones that run from Allahabad.

The railways plans to operate four to five special trains to ferry 5,000 Pravasi Bhartiyas from Prayagraj to New Delhi, he added. They will be in Prayagraj to participate in the Kumbh Mela after attending the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas at Varanasi, which will be taken to New Delhi for Republic Day celebrations.

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Branding of Kumbh Mela on train coaches

Branding of the Kumbh Mela will be done on 1,400 coaches of special trains and the originating trains of the NCR by vinyl wrapping, the PTI report quoted Mr Malviya as saying. This will help spread the message about the Kumbh Mela across the country.

The train coaches will be decorated with colourful and attractive images of the Kumbh Mela and landmark structures of Prayagraj. The railways have given space for 'Paint My City' initiative at its stations and residential colonies which is another big branding exercise for the Kumbh Mela," Mr Malviya said.

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"Four big enclosures to house about 10,000 pilgrims have been constructed at Allahabad Junction railway station. These will have vending stalls, water booths and ticket counters, LCD TVs, public address system, CCTV cameras and separate toilets blocks for men and women. Similar passenger enclosures have also been built at other stations."

In order to promote local culture, the North Central Zone Cultural Centre, under the Ministry of Culture, will be co-opted to put up stalls in passenger enclosures, showcasing the art, culture and heritage of Prayagraj and surrounding areas, he added.

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The Kumbh Mela draws tens of millions of pilgrims over the course of approximately 55 days to bathe at the confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the Sarasvati rivers.