With the onset of the festive season,all trains are running packed. While the popular trains have no seats available till Diwali,others have long waiting lists till the end of October. If awards were being handed out for the most in-demand train,the Paschim Express (2925/2926),running between Chandigarh and Bandra,will win hands down there are no seats available in the whole of October. The second runner-up is the Sadhbhavna Express (2231/2232),running between Chandigarh and Lucknow,which has a waiting list of more than 431 on October 16. Seats are available only after October 19. The Unchahar Express (4217/4218),running between Chandigarh and Allahabad,has a waiting of more than 400 for October 16. Also,the tri-weekly superfast special train (0483/0484) between Chandigarh and Allahabad,started this month viewing the increased passenger load,has a waiting list of more than 65 persons on its last trip on October 14. The Shatabdi and Jan Shatabdi are also heavily booked for next week. To cater to the heavy rush,we add extra coaches to trains like Sadhbhavna Express and Unchahar Express depending on the waiting list. This process will continue till the long waiting lists are cleared, said Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Karan Singh. The mad rush has not spared the airlines either,with flights to Delhi and Mumbai reporting almost 100 per cent occupancy and advance bookings till Diwali. A similar situation prevails at the bus stand for the Volvo service to Delhi and Shimla.
