The Namo Express carrying more than 1,500 Ganeshotsav passengers left Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai for Sawantwadi on Saturday, adding to the special rail and bus arrangements for people travelling to the Konkan during the festival period.
The train departed from platform 18 at 11.05 am after Mumbai BJP president and MLA Amit Satam flagged it off, according to a report by Loksatta – Mumbai. A large crowd of passengers had gathered at CSMT from the morning, and the station area echoed with devotional chants as the special service departed.
The service has been organised by the Lodha Foundation for passengers travelling from Mumbai to the Konkan for Ganeshotsav. The initiative is aimed at providing an additional travel option for people who live and work in Mumbai but return to their native places in the Konkan to celebrate the festival with their families.
State cabinet minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha said the purpose of the initiative was to provide relief to Konkan-bound passengers and enable people working in Mumbai to celebrate the festival with their families. The report said the programme was being conducted under the guidance of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Another special train was scheduled to leave at 11 pm on Saturday under arrangements made by the Bharatiya Janata Party, creating an additional rail option for passengers travelling towards the Konkan. The report did not provide the train’s route details, stopping pattern or passenger capacity.
Bus services have also been added to the festival travel network. Five special buses left from August Kranti Maidan at 5 pm on Friday, carrying more than 200 devotees from South Mumbai towards the Konkan.
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation has completed reservations for 5,743 additional buses for Ganeshotsav travel between September 10 and September 13 across the Mumbai region. The region covered by these figures includes Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Raigad and Ratnagiri divisions.
Of the additional buses, 4,863 are ordinary buses and 880 are Jijाऊ buses, according to the report. The figures indicate the scale of the seasonal demand placed on public transport networks when large numbers of Mumbai residents travel to Konkan districts over a concentrated festival period.
The special train and bus services form part of the annual transport response to Ganeshotsav travel. The available information confirms the number of services and passengers reported for these arrangements, while details such as fares, booking availability, intermediate stops and return schedules were not specified.
