Festive travel surge: Western Railway handles 73 lakh passengers in 10 days

Western Railway handled nearly 270 lakh passengers at Udhna railway station in Gujarat during the 10day DiwaliChhath festive rush from November 1 to 10 2026 while catering to a total footfall of 73 lakh passengers across its network during the same periodThe railway zone recorded an increase of around two lakh passengers compared to the corresponding festive period last year according to a press release issued by Western Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Vineet Abhishek on FridayMore than 250 trips of special trains were operated from Udhna to manage the surge in passenger trafficWestern Railway said it made additional crowd management arrangements and deployed staff to ensure the safe and orderly movement of passengersUdhna handles over 45000 passengers in 15 hoursDuring the three days preceding Diwali Udhna station handled 111 trains including 27 regular trains and 19 Festival Special trains originating from the stationOn the night of November 7 and 8 the station managed more than 45000 passengers within 15 hours Railway officials monitored the situation in real time and arranged additional special trains to accommodate the increased demandWestern Railway is also developing Utran station as a satellite station for Surat Special trains are being operated from Utran to various destinations to reduce passenger pressure at Surat and Udhna stationsPassenger holding areas set up at key stationsTo manage the festive rush Western Railway established Yatri Suvidha Kendras or passenger holding areas at Bandra Terminus Udhna Surat Utran Vadodara Ahmedabad and Sabarmati stationsAdditional ticketbooking counters Automatic Ticket Vending Machines ATVMs and Mobile UTS personnel were deployed round the clock to facilitate ticketing and reduce waiting timeTicketchecking staff were also assigned to guide passengers and ensure orderly boardingThe Railway Protection Force RPF Government Railway Police GRP and local police were deployed at stations to maintain law and order and ensure passenger securityUdhna facility can accommodate over 15000 passengersUdhnas Yatri Suvidha Kendra which opened on October 31 spans more than 10000 square metres and is described by Western Railway as Indias largest passenger holding area The facility can accommodate more than 15000 passengers at a timeIt includes covered waiting areas seating arrangements for senior citizens and persons with disabilities 10 dedicated ticketbooking counters and separate toilet facilities for men women and persons with disabilities A babyfeeding room has also been providedThe facility is equipped with ROfiltered drinking water 32 highvolume lowspeed HVLS fans a public address system with 146 speakers passenger information display boards and 55 AIbased CCTV cameras It also has a war room for continuous monitoring along with signage and firesafety and emergencymanagement provisionsOver 2000 special train trips operated during festive seasonApart from regular services Western Railway operated more than 2000 trips of holiday special trains during the festive season covering Dussehra Durga Puja Navratri Diwali and Chhath PujaThe railway zone said additional staff deployment infrastructure upgrades and realtime monitoring helped manage the festive passenger rush and facilitate travel for people returning home during the holidays