While you may have entered the train without a ticket many times, with the hopes of not getting caught, there’s a train in India that has been offering its passengers free rides for 73 years now! Here’s what we know about it. By Anushka Goel
It sounds too good to be true, but the passengers on the Bhakra Railway Train have been enjoying free rides for the last 73 years now, reports News18. The special train, which runs through the borders of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, is frequently used by commuters to travel between Nangal and Bhakar.
More about the Bhakra Railway Train, which has been offering free rides for 73 years
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The train is operated by the by Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), and covers a distance of 13 kilometres. The distance, along the Sutlej river, takes one to the Bhakra-Nangal Dam and exempts tourists to pay the fare so that they can come and visit the dam, reports Times Now News.
According to News18, the Bhakar-Nangal train started operating in 1948, during the construction of the dam, when the need for transportation (and hence, this special train) was realised. So, the train route emerged, allowing staff as well as heavy machinery to be transported along the route with ease. Since then, the train has been running on the route and seven decades later, it continues to run the route but with BBMB employees as well as tourists.
According to Times Now News, the train is said to ferry about 300 passengers from 25 villages, while students remain the major beneficiaries of this service. The train burns about 20 litres of fuel each hour, yet the Board has opted to keep the service free for all, media reports add. And the journey on this 13-kilometre long stretch is equally picturesque, taking one through the Shivalik Hills, arriving at the Nehla station before heading to the Nangal Dam in Punjab.
Hero and Featured Image: Courtesy of Ankush Minda/Unsplash
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