To cater to the surge in passenger traffic during the annual Rath Yatra, Indian Railways will operate a special pair of express trains between Gondia Junction in Maharashtra and Puri on selected dates in July.
According to the East Coast Railway (ECoR), Train No. 08801 Gondia–Puri Rath Yatra Special will leave Gondia at 1.30 pm on July 2, 9, 16 and 29, reaching Puri at 10 am the following day. In the return direction, Train No. 08802 Puri–Gondia Rath Yatra Special will depart from Puri at 1 pm on July 3, 10, 17 and 30 and arrive at Gondia at 7 am the next day.
The special train will halt at Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon, Durg, Raipur, Khariar Road, Kantabanji, Titlagarh, Balangir, Bargarh Road, Sambalpur, Angul, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Khurda Road, among other stations.
The train will comprise two luggage-cum-divyang-friendly coaches, four general second-class coaches, 10 sleeper coaches, three AC three-tier coaches and one AC two-tier coach to accommodate the additional rush of pilgrims.
ECoR has advised passengers to check the latest train schedules through the National Train Enquiry System (NTES) or official railway enquiry services before commencing their journey.