Western Railway’s Mumbai Central Division achieved a historic milestone by recording 100 per cent punctuality for Mail-Express trains on October 22, 2025, officials announced on Thursday.
According to Vineet Abhishek, Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, this remarkable feat comes amid the operation of numerous Diwali–Chhath Festival Special trains on the division’s already busy network. Despite these challenges, meticulous planning, seamless coordination, and dedicated teamwork ensured flawless punctuality.
The Mumbai Central Division manages one of India’s busiest and most complex passenger operations, running over 1,400 suburban trains and around 150 Mail/Express trains daily across a network exceeding 600 route kilometres.
Western Railway said the achievement underscores its commitment to providing safe, efficient, and reliable services, while highlighting the professionalism and dedication of its staff.
“Western Railway reiterates its unwavering commitment to providing safe, efficient, and reliable services to all passengers. This milestone stands as a proud testament to the collective efforts, professionalism and dedication of Western Railway’s committed staff,” the WR CPRO said.
Top Western Railway officials visit Bandra Terminus to review crowd control preparations
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 areas.
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.
