The season of festivals began in India, where people, mainly workers, travel to their homes in different states to celebrate the festival of Diwali. Taking this into account, the Western Railway (WR) announced 200 special train services with extra coaches to cater to the Deepawali and Chhath Puja rush.
Also Read | Mumbai Stampede: Delhi Rail Division Implements Crowd Control Measures Ahead of Festive Season.
Mumbai Division of WR managed 40 of these 200 special trains, including 22 trains specifically travelling to popular places like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Odisha, where many migrant workers travel from cities to these states.
Check List Of Diwali Special Trains
Over passenger demand and to manage festival crowds, the Indian Railways announced special trains with extra coaches to maintain regular operations. "This is part of our commitment to meet the rising passenger demand during this vibrant time, as detailed in a recent press release from Vineet Abhishek," Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway.
"We are closely monitoring these additional services from both divisional and headquarters levels, coordinated by our senior officers, with daily real-time checks on train waitlists," he added.
The Eastern Railway on Monday said that it will operate 50 extra festival trains and 400 additional services during Diwali and Chhath Puja. According to Eastern Railways PRO Kaushik Mitra, the number of special trains has increased from 33 to 50 in 2024.
Also Read | Haryana Train Blast: Four Passengers Injured After Explosion Triggers Fire in Rohtak-Delhi Train.
"Eastern railway is running more trains this year than the last year for this festive season - Diwali and Chhath. Last year the number of special trains was 33, this year it has increased to 50," Mitra said.
These came after the stampede incident at Bandra Terminus Railway Station in Mumbai. Keeping this in mind, Railways also include maximum staff deployment as well as safety protocols in critical high-traffic stations, such as Bandra Terminus, Surat, Udhna, Vadodara and Ahmedabad.
Platform ticket sales have been temporarily stopped at key railway stations in Mumbai Division till November 8, including Mumbai Central, Dadar, Bandra Terminus, Borivali, Vasai Road, Vapi, Valsad, Udhna, and Surat to avoid extra crowd.