North Western Railway's Diwali Rush: 44 Special Trains Amid Festival Travel Surge

Captain Shashi Kiran, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of North Western Railway, told ANI that extra coaches, volunteers, and Railway Protection Force (RPF) staff have been deployed at stations to manage passenger rush and ensure smooth travel.

"For Diwali and Chhath festivals, North Western Railways organised special arrangements. Currently, 44 pairs of special trains are operating from stations with high demand, such as Mumbai, Pune, Howrah, and nearby regions in Bihar... We are assessing the need for more special trains. With approval, we can operate additional trains. Additionally, we have added 174 coaches to nearly 60 regular trains, which are currently running... We are arranging holding areas in major stations, such as Jaipur, to reduce platform crowding," he said.

He also highlighted the additional measures to manage crowds and facilitate smooth travel.

"We have deployed volunteers from NGOs, scouts, guides, and the Railway Protection Force, and also assigned train conductors to specific duties... We advise people to arrive at the station as per schedule; early arrivals should wait in the holding area. Entry is limited to the station's incoming and outgoing points. Platform ticket sales are temporarily halted, but may be issued in special cases. We believe these measures will control the rush and encourage travel," the CPRO added.

Earlier in the day, Central Railway announced that it will operate 1,702 special trains for the Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals in an effort to help passengers travel to their destinations and join their families on the festival.

CPRO, Central Railway, Swapnil Nila told ANI on Saturday, "The Central Railway is preparing for the upcoming Chhath and Diwali festivals by operating 1,702 special trains to help passengers travel to their destinations to celebrate with their families... These trains will start from stations such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Pune, Kolhapur, and Nagpur... Over 800 of these trains will serve routes to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and the northeastern states... Trains will connect various other locations within the country."

CPRO added that Extra counters have been set up at major stations for the convenience and safety of the passengers.

He further added, "To ensure passenger comfort and safety, holding areas with a capacity of over 3,000 passengers each have been established at major stations, equipped with amenities such as food, water, toilets, and fans... Mobile UTS services are available for ticket booking, and additional ticket counters have been opened to reduce waiting time..."

On Saturday, the Indian Railways has decided to take strict action against social media handles sharing'misleading' videos related to railway operations.

During this festive season, some social media handles have been circulating old or misleading videos, creating confusion among passengers, said the railways in a statement.

The railway administration stated that over 20 such social media handles have been identified, and the process of filing FIRs has been initiated. A 24x7 social media monitoring mechanism has been put in place to keep a close watch on such antisocial elements.

The railway has appealed to all social media users to refrain from sharing videos of crowds or other incidents at stations without verifying the facts.

Passengers are urged to rely only on official Railway notifications and verified social media handles of the Ministry of Railways, i.e., @RailMinIndia on X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for authentic information.

- ANI