Western Railway gears up to manage crowd ahead of Holi

According to railway station sources, on Sunday, people started crowding Udhna railway station at 4 am to take Antyoday express train from Udhna to Jaynagar in Bihar. While the train has a capacity of around 1,800, over 5,000 people were seen at the railway station.

Similarly, on Monday, a large crowd was seen at the Surat railway station to catch Tapti Ganga Express train from Surat to Chhapra in Bihar, via Madhya Pradesh and UP.

According to a press release from Sumit Thakur, Western Railway Chief Public Relations Officer, additional staff have been deployed to monitor and control crowd.

Additional booking windows were opened at Surat, Udhna and Chalthan stations in view of the rush, it said, adding that in Surat, 36 shifts are being operated with six additional shifts, while at Udhna, 14 shifts are being operated that includes 8 additional shifts.

Around 140 additional RPF personnel have been deployed at Surat and Udhna stations, especially at the entry and exit points to regulate the crowd, the release said. Besides, special surveillance is being undertaken through CCTV to identify overcrowded places.

Special help desks and enquiry counters were opened at major stations that work round-the-clock to help passengers, with senior officials monitoring the crowd management, the release said.