As thousands of fans would be attending Coldplay's concert on January 25 and 26, Western Railways will operate two special trains between Mumbai, Maharashtra, and Ahmedabad, Gujarat on those two days.
The popular British rock band will do three show in Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium on January 18, 19 and 21, and two other concerts will take place at Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat's Ahmedabad on January 25 and 26.
As flight tickets are sky rocketing, many people who want to attend the Coldplay concerts and are looking for an alternative. And two special trains between Mumbai and Ahmedabad are likely to bring great relief.
“Though the two trains are "winter specials" as per the directive of the Railway Board, these are being operated to clear the extra rush of passengers in view of the Coldplay concerts on January 25 and 26 at Narendra Modi stadium,” officials told PTI
Even these two 'winter specials' might not be sufficient if the popularity of Coldplay and the past experience of the railways with the cricket world cup were anything to go by, these officials pointed out.
Coldplay concerts are taking place in Navi Mumbai's DY Patil stadium on January 18, 19 and 21, for which the organisers have booked Full Tariff Rate (FTR) suburban locals for the attendees.
"The suburban locals booked as FTR will be operated between Goregaon and Nerul station in Navi Mumbai on all three days of Coldplay concert. The suburban trains will depart from Goregaon at 2 pm on January 18 and 19, and reach Nerul at 3.23 pm via Wadala road station. They will depart from Nerul at 11.04 pm and reach Goregaon little after midnight at 12.30 am," the report quoted an official.
A Western Railway official stated that tickets for the special train are being booked through Book My Show. However, it is unclear whether only ticket holders can travel on these trains or if the general public will also be allowed to board.
Meanwhile, hotels in Navi Mumbai are fully booked for the weekend with many charging nearly ₹1 lakh per night.
(This article has been updated to add new information.)
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