In view of the heavy rush in trains during Diwali 2025 and Chhath Puja, General Manager of Western Railway, Vivek Kumar Gupta along with top officials, visited Bandra Terminus on Tuesday to inspect the preparations and facilities put in place for the festive season.
Gupta was joined by senior officers from Western Railway Headquarters and the Mumbai Central Division during the inspection, which covered areas such as the concourse, waiting halls, ticket counters, holding areas, and circulating area.
Gupta said that Indian Railways is running over 12,000 trips of special trains to manage the festive passenger traffic. Western Railway alone is operating over 2,400 trips, with nearly 80 pairs of special trains, mostly north-bound. Among these, 1,586 trips originate from Gujarat, 738 from Maharashtra, and 90 from Madhya Pradesh, including around 50 unreserved special train trips, an official statement said on Tuesday.
To help manage the crowd and ensure a smooth experience for travellers, holding areas, extra ticket counters, and free drinking water facilities have been arranged. CCTV systems are being monitored 24×7, and War Rooms have been set up at key stations for crowd control, it said.
At Bandra Terminus alone, more than 70,000 passengers travelled between 15th and 21st October. To manage this surge, a temporary holding area with space for 450 people and a permanent area for 1,000 people have been set up. These areas are equipped with fans, proper lighting, and public announcement systems, the statement said.
It said that a total of 70 licensed Sahayaks (porters) are helping passengers in two daily shifts, and extra ticket-checking staff are deployed round-the-clock. Platform ticket sales have been temporarily suspended at Bandra Terminus, Vapi, and Surat stations to prevent overcrowding.
Mobile UTS ticketing is being encouraged to make ticketing more convenient, with staff approaching passengers directly to issue tickets. Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel have also been deployed in greater numbers to ensure safety and manage queues, it further said.
The General Manager urged passengers to plan their journeys in advance, use the mobile ticketing facility, and cooperate with staff to ensure safe and hassle-free travel during the festive period.
