Surat: Amid a sharp rise in passenger movement during the summer vacation season, Western Railway has announced four additional “Train on Demand” (TOD) special services on a war footing to ease congestion on key routes.

According to official information, two special trains have been introduced from Udhna to cater to passengers and migrant workers from South Gujarat. Train No. 09053/09054 Udhna–Santragachi Special will operate on April 20 and 25 (Udhna to Santragachi) and April 22 and 27 (return direction) with a 22-coach Amrit Bharat rake. The train will pass through major stations including Nandurbar, Bhusaval, Nagpur, Raipur, Bilaspur, and Kharagpur.

In addition, an unreserved special train, No. 09061/09062 Udhna–Jaynagar–Udhna, will run for one round trip. The Udhna–Jaynagar service will depart on April 19, while the return journey from Jaynagar is scheduled for April 20. This train will comprise fully general coaches to accommodate maximum passengers.

Another unreserved TOD special, Train No. 09067/09068 Udhna–Madhubani–Udhna, will operate one trip each, departing Udhna on April 19 and Madhubani on April 20, aimed at facilitating travel for passengers heading towards Bihar.

Further, a bi-weekly superfast special train, No. 09085/09086 Mumbai Central–Indore–Mumbai Central, will run on Mondays and Fridays from April 20 to May 29, completing a total of 12 trips. Key halts include Borivali, Vapi, Surat, Vadodara, Dahod, Ratlam, and Ujjain.

Additionally, a weekly superfast service, Train No. 09087/09088 Mumbai Central–Ahmedabad–Mumbai Central, will operate every Wednesday (from Mumbai) and Thursday (from Ahmedabad) between April 22 and May 28, covering major stops such as Borivali, Vapi, Surat, Vadodara, and Geratpur.

Railway authorities have instructed all station masters to prominently display train schedules on notice boards and make regular announcements for passenger convenience. Booking for these special services will open as per notified schedules on the Passenger Reservation System (PRS).

Passengers have been advised to plan their journeys in advance and make use of these additional services to avoid last-minute inconvenience during the peak travel period. DeshGujarat