Railway to launch Ring Rail MEMU service during Mahakumbh
North Central Railway will launch Ring Rail MEMU service during Mahakumbh for easy pilgrim travel to Ayodhya, Kashi, and Chitrakoot, operating 13,000 trains.
For the convenience of pilgrims during the Mahakumbh, the North Central Railway (NCR) will introduce a Ring Rail MEMU service during the mela period. This service is designed to provide smooth and easy travel for pilgrims visiting major religious destinations like Ayodhya, Kashi, and Chitrakoot.
According to senior public relations officer, North Central Railway (NCR) Amit Malaviya, especially time-tabled Ring Rail MEMU have been designed for facilitating pilgrims desiring to visit religiously important tourist destinations in UP.
Ring Rail is a circular route which takes a certain time to complete, both clockwise and anticlockwise while MEMU in Indian Railways is a Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) train that serves short and medium-distance routes in India.
He explained that four routes had been planned on the pattern including Prayagraj, Phaphamau, Ayodhya, Kashi and Prayagraj and vice-versa.
The second route comprises of Prayagraj, Banda, Chitrakoot, Jhansi, Urai, Kanpur, Prayagraj and vice-versa.
As per the official, an observation room has also been set up at railway junction wherein all medical facilities requisite for first aid were available along with an ICU.
The 10-bedded observation room would cater to pilgrims suffering from travel fatigue or any other medical condition on arrival at junction owing to long distance travel. “After stabilising the condition of passengers, they would be shifted to Railway Hospital or any other unit as per requirement,” he added.
Records revealed that the count of trains had also swelled more than 10 times between the two Mahakumbh melas. In 2013 Mahakumbh, around 1,122 trains were operated while for Mahakumbh 2025 the count has swelled to 13,000 for convenience of pilgrims.
The NCR would operate over 13,000 trains including over 10,000 regular trains and 3,000 special trains. Around 2,000 trains will be operated for outgoing travel, while 800 will cater to devotees returning from the mela.
To manage the rush and ease travel, 23 pairs of trains (46 trains) will have additional stoppages at Prayagraj and Naini Junction. This initiative of the railways is aimed at ensuring more convenience for the pilgrims.
