Western Railway sets record with 21 festive trains from Udhna in 12 hours

Surat Deputy Commissioner of Police Zone 2 Kannan Desai said, “We have ensured that law and order is maintained at the passenger holding areas. We supplied energy drinks, water bottles, food packets, fruit and biscuits to passengers seated for longer hours. It was overcrowded and all the passengers followed our strict instructions. They remained in the queue at Udhna Railway station.”

Officials said that on Monday, a total of 12 regular, special and unreserved trains departed from Udhna, continuing the rush of migrant workers heading home for the festive season. To manage the surge, Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP) and Surat city police jointly maintained order at the crowded platforms.

Platform 6 at Udhna East, recently upgraded from a rail-level to a high-level platform, helped ensure faster boarding and dispersal. Additional facilities such as mobile ticket counters, drinking water, lighting, fans, seating, washrooms and CCTV have been set up at holding areas on both sides of the station, accommodating up to 2,500 passengers.

A new 700-metre concrete road has also been constructed to ease movement between the station approach and holding areas. A war room has been established at the Divisional Control Office to monitor crowd management in real time.

For this year’s 20-day festive period, 77 special trains have been notified from Udhna, which is up from 66 last year.