Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 19 (ANI): Central Railway will operate 1,702 special trains for the Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals in an effort to help passengers travel to their destinations and join their families on the festival.

CPRO, Central Railway, Swapnil Nila told ANI on Saturday, 'The Central Railway is preparing for the upcoming Chhath and Diwali festivals by operating 1,702 special trains to help passengers travel to their destinations to celebrate with their families... These trains will start from stations such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Pune, Kolhapur, and Nagpur... Over 800 of these trains will serve routes to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and the northeastern states... Trains will connect various other locations within the country.'

CPRO added that Extra counters have been set up at major stations for the convenience and safety of the passengers.

He further added, 'To ensure passenger comfort and safety, holding areas with a capacity of over 3,000 passengers each have been established at major stations, equipped with amenities such as food, water, toilets, and fans... Mobile UTS services are available for ticket booking, and additional ticket counters have been opened to reduce waiting time...'

Earlier on Saturday, the Indian Railways has decided to take strict action against social media handles sharing'misleading' videos related to railway operations.

During this festive season, some social media handles have been circulating old or misleading videos, creating confusion among passengers, said the railways in a statement.

The railway administration stated that over 20 such social media handles have been identified, and the process of filing FIRs has been initiated. A 24x7 social media monitoring mechanism has been put in place to keep a close watch on such antisocial elements.

The railway has appealed to all social media users to refrain from sharing videos of crowds or other incidents at stations without verifying the facts.

Passengers are urged to rely only on official Railway notifications and verified social media handles of the Ministry of Railways, i.e., @RailMinIndia on X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for authentic information. (ANI)