In 10 days, 1.70 lakh took festive trains from Surat to UP, Bihar: Western Railway

Pankaj Singh, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Western Railway (WR), was stationed in Surat for a week before Diwali to manage crowds of migrant workers returning to Bihar and UP during the festive season. To reduce passenger congestion at Surat railway station, trains bound for UP, Bihar and north-eastern states originating from Surat have been diverted to Udhna Railway Station. At Udhna Railway Station, passenger holding areas on the east side have been developed to accommodate 1000 passengers. Similarly, 1500 passenger holding areas have been created on the west side of Udhna Railway Station, officials said.

Elaborating on crowd management during the festive season at the Udhna Railway Station, Singh told mediapersons on Saturday that the special trains running from Udhna/Surat railway stations to UP and Bihar, have experienced a notable increase in passenger traffic. Compared to last year’s festive period, when 93 trips were scheduled and around 1.49 lakh passengers were carried (from 09.10.2024 to 08.11.2024), this year’s festive season (from 28.09.2025 to 28.10.2025) saw 128 trips being scheduled, accommodating over 2 lakh passengers. These special trains have offered passengers a convenient and hassle-free means of reaching their destinations.

On October 19 2025, in response to an increase in passenger traffic, 10 special trains operated for passenger convenience, alongside five regular trains, carrying 36,000 passengers to Bihar and UP from Udhna Railway Station, which is a record. Similarly, during the same festive period in 2024, 25,000 travelled from Udhna/Surat to the same destinations.

The maximum number of trains running to Bihar were at Jaynagar, Barauni, and Samastipur railway stations, while some also ran to Raxaul, Bhagalpur and Danapur.

Singh said, “To reduce the passenger traffic congestion at Udhna Railway station, nearby Uttran and Bhestan Railway stations in Surat city will be developed and are listed under Amrit Bharat Stations, where a terminus will be developed and more trains will originate, along with long-distance trains will be halted in the coming time.”

Singh pointed out that some lessons were learnt this year as part of crowd management, as there were long single queues at Udhna Railway Station. “Starting next year, we will introduce multiple queues to eliminate long wait times. The passenger holding area at Udhna Railway Station will be expanded to cater to more passengers. We have requested the Railway Ministry to start new regular trains from Udhna to UP and Bihar,” he said.