Railways to run 380 Ganpati specials for 7L riders

The Indian Railways will run a record 380 Ganpati special trains this year, expected to ferry nearly 7 lakh passengers during Ganeshotsav (August 27–September 6). Most trains will depart from key Mumbai terminals — CSMT, Dadar, LTT, Bandra Terminus, Mumbai Central, Diva, and Panvel — with halts across the Konkan belt, including Ratnagiri, Kudal, Sawantwadi, and Kankavli.

Of the total, Central Railway will operate the largest share with 296 trips, while Western Railway will add 56, Konkan Railway six, and South Western Railway 22. This marks the highest tally in recent years, compared with 305 services in 2023 and 358 in 2024.

Each special can carry 2,000–4,000 passengers, far above regular capacity, to accommodate the festive rush. To manage return traffic, CR will also run six unreserved eight-car trains between Panvel and Chiplun on September 5.

In a first, Konkan Railway will introduce a Roll-on Roll-off (RoRo) service during the festival, debuting between Kolad and Verna on August 23, with 20 wagons and a passenger coach.