South Eastern Railway (SER) has decided to run four special trains to clear the extra rush of passengers during Holi.

According to a circular issued by the office of the Chief Passenger Transportation Manager ( CPTM ) at Garden Reach, the Calcutta-based headquarters of SER, the first train, the Shalimar-Malatipatpur (Near Puri) Special will leave Shalimar on March 17. The return train will leave Malatipatpur the next day on March 18.

The Shalimar-Malatipatpur Special will leave Shalimar at 6.30pm and will reach Malatipatpur at 2.55am the next day.

On the other way, the Malatipatpur-Shalimar Special will leave Malatipatpur at 2.55 pm and will arrive Shalimar at 11.40 pm, the same day.

The second Holi special train between Tatanagar and Chhapra will leave Tatanagar on March 17. The return train will leave Chhapra on March 20. The Tatanagar-Chhapra Special will leave Tatanagar at 12.15 pm and will reach Chhapra at 2.05 am the next day.

In the other direction, the Chhapra-Tatanagar Special will leave Chhapra at 12.50 am and arrive Tatanagar at 4 pm, the same day. The special trains will have stoppages at Purulia and Joychandi Pahar stations in SER jurisdiction.

The third Holi special train, Shalimar-Gorakhpur Special, will leave Shalimar on March 16 while the return train will leave Gorakhpur on March 20. The Shalimar-Gorakhpur Special will leave Shalimar at 8.20 pm and will reach Gorakhpur at 5.20 pm the next day.

In the opposite direction, the Gorakhpur-Shalimar Special will leave Gorakhpur at 1.40 pm and will arrive Shalimar at 9.30 am, the next day.

The special train will have stoppages at Santragachi, Kharagpur, Tatanagar, Purulia and Bhojudih stations in SER jurisdiction. The fourth special train, Shalimar-Darbhanga Special, will leave Shalimar on March 16. The return train will leave Darbhanga on March 17.

The Shalimar-Darbhanga Special will leave Shalimar at 3.40 pm and will reach Darbhanga at 10 am the next day. In the other direction, the Darbhanga-Shalimar Special will leave Darbhanga at 11.05 pm and will arrive Shalimar at 3.15 pm, the next day.

The special train will have stoppages at Santragachi, Kharagpur, Tatanagar, Purulia and Bokaro steel City stations under SER jurisdiction. This year Holi, the festival of colours, will be celebrated on March 19.

The Holi rush in trains and long distance buses heading for Bihar is expected to gain momentum from Monday.