Jammu, Mar 17 : The Northern Railway’s Jammu Division has decided to attach an additional sleeper coach to the Kolkata–Jammu Tawi Express in view of the expected surge in passengers during the Navratri festival, officials said on Tuesday.
The additional coach will be attached to Train No. 13151/13152 (Kolkata–Jammu Tawi–Kolkata Express) from March 20 to April 2 to accommodate the heavy rush of devotees travelling to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine.
Officials said the move was taken as a large number of pilgrims travel to Jammu during Navratri to visit the shrine and the demand for berths increases significantly during the period.
“With the addition of the extra sleeper coach, the chances of ticket confirmation for passengers on the waiting list will improve considerably,” an official statement issued by the Jammu Division of Northern Railway said.
The railway authorities said the step would also help reduce overcrowding in the existing coaches and provide a safer and more comfortable journey to passengers.
According to officials, the additional coach will enable around 72 to 80 passengers on the waiting list to get confirmed berths each day during the period.
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Uchit Singhal said the decision was taken keeping in view the heavy passenger rush and long waiting lists during the festival.
“Keeping in mind the surge in passenger numbers and the long waiting lists during the Navratri festival, we have decided to attach an additional sleeper coach to this train,” Singhal said.
He said the railways were closely monitoring the waiting list status and would take further measures if required to facilitate passengers.
Navratri, which witnesses a large influx of devotees to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district, is one of the peak travel periods on the route.
Railway officials advised passengers to check the latest status of their tickets through the official railway website or by contacting the railway helpline number 139.(KNS).
