Railways to operate more than 350 trains from Prayagraj on Mahashivaratri

To cater to the needs of the large number of pilgrims expected to return to their hometowns after bathing at Sangam on Mahashivaratri, which will likely lead to heavy crowds at railway stations, the North Central Railway, North Eastern Railway and Northern Railway have made extensive preparations. All officials and staff have been directed to remain vigilant at their workstations, informed officials.

As on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, when over 360 trains were run successfully, transporting more than 20 lakh people to their destinations, special arrangements have been made to run additional trains after the Mahashivaratri Snan, and extra rakes have been stationed near Prayagraj for use as needed. The plan is to run 350 special and regular trains from the eight stations of Prayagraj for the pilgrims this time, said North Central Railway’s CPRO, Shashikant Tripathi.

Initially, the railway had planned for the operation of approximately 13,500 trains during the Mahakumbh, and as of the 42nd day, more than 15,000 trains, including a large number of special trains, have already been operated.

A large number of pilgrims from various states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and others, have gathered in Prayagraj to bathe at the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers, on Mahashivaratri.

On Sunday and Monday, there was a high number of passengers at stations such as Patna, Danapur, Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Sasaram, Katihar, Khagaria, Saharsa, Jaynagar, and Darbhanga in Bihar. Similarly, there was an increased number of pilgrims at stations in Uttar Pradesh, such as Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Kanpur, Gonda, Deen Dayal Upadhyay, and Jhansi, among others. Stations in Madhya Pradesh, including Chitrakoot, Jabalpur, Satna, and Khajuraho, also saw high footfall, while a significant number of passengers traveled from Jharkhand’s Dhanbad, Bokaro, Ranchi, Garhwa, and Medininagar stations to Prayagraj, informed railway officials.

The entire railway operation is being closely monitored by railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The chairman and CEO of the Railway Board, Satish Kumar, is also overseeing train operations. The General Managers of the three zonal railways are working with their teams to strengthen railway arrangements. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has instructed the Chairman of the Railway Board and General Managers of all Zonal Railways to ensure complete care of Mahakumbh passengers and, if necessary, run additional special trains, officials said.

At Prayagraj Junction, passengers were directed to specific shelters based on their destinations and then taken by special trains to their respective locations. When the number of passengers increased, the railway implemented its emergency plan by holding passengers at Khusrobagh and directing them to enter the station safely through passenger shelters before boarding the trains. All activities were monitored by senior officials of the Prayagraj Division at the control tower at Prayagraj Junction, and timely decisions were made to avoid any disruptions in train operations and ensure the safe departure of pilgrims in special trains.