Indian Railways has scaled up operations to handle heavy passenger movement after Chhath Puja, with 6,181 special trains announced for return journeys between October 28 and November 30. Across the festive period, more than 12,000 special trains are being operated nationwide to manage the crowd pressure.
Holdings areas, additional coaches and crowd-control systems
As per the PIB release, weather-proof holding areas, CCTV surveillance, mobile ticketing services and extra ticket counters have been set up at about 30 major stations in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. These include Patna, Rajendra Nagar Terminal, Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Danapur, Samastipur, Barauni in Bihar, as well as Gorakhpur, Banaras and Ballia in Uttar Pradesh. Additional coaches have been attached to meet the high demand.
The railway staff are working around the clock to assist passengers and to maintain order.
Passenger assistance booths, public announcement systems, and queue management arrangements have been activated. Meanwhile, RFP personnel have also been deployed in adequate numbers to ensure safety.
Medical booth and dedicated war rooms for managing the crowd
To boost the festive travel experience, Railways are playing Chhath devotional songs at key stations like Patna, Bhagalpur, Danapur, New Delhi, Jamalpur, Hajipur, Jamalpur, Anand Vihar terminal and Sonpur. Medical booths have also been set up and are operational 24X7 at Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Saharsa and Gaya. Fire brigade and ambulance services are also available.
The crowds have been monitored in real time by the dedicated war rooms at the Railway Board, zonal and divisional levels. Railways are also countering viral misinformation through the “Railway Fact Check’’ handle. It has also recently been clarified that a widely shared claim about fatalities on the Karmabhoomi Express from Mumbai to Bihar was fake and was related to a trespassing incident.
Recently, Railway Ashwini Vaishnaw reviewed preparedness at the Rail Bhavan war room. As per a report by ANI, the ministry stated that 1,500 special trains will run over five days to ease the festive rush.