Central Railway Enhances Crowd Control and Special Services for Mahakumbh Devotees
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Synopsis
On February 16, Central Railway announced special train services and crowd management strategies for Mahakumbh-2025 pilgrims traveling to Prayagraj. Enhanced facilities and protocols aim to ensure a safe and convenient journey for devotees across multiple divisions.
Key Takeaways
- 42 special train services announced for Mahakumbh-2025.
- Enhanced crowd management at major stations.
- Controlled access to prevent overcrowding.
- Emergency protocols for train halts in place.
- Additional UTS counters opened for ticketing.
Mumbai, Feb 16 (NationPress) To ensure the comfort of devotees traveling to Prayagraj for Mahakumbh-2025, the Central Railway has rolled out special trains and implemented crowd management strategies throughout its network, as stated by an official on Sunday.
In response to the anticipated rise in passengers, Central Railway has planned 42 special train services for Mahakumbh-2025. This includes: 14 trips of CSMT-Mau-CSMT specials; 12 trips of Pune-Mau-Pune specials; 12 trips of Nagpur-Danapur-Nagpur specials, and 4 trips of LTT-Banaras-LTT specials.
The official mentioned that upgraded passenger facilities and crowd control measures have been implemented at stations in: Mumbai Division - CSMT, LTT, Thane, Kalyan; Pune Division - Pune, Daund, Ahmednagar, Miraj, and Kolhapur; Bhusaval Division - Bhusaval, Manmad, Nashik Road, and Khandwa; Nagpur Division - Nagpur, Ballarshah, Chandrapur, Sewagram, Betul, and Pandurna; Solapur Division – Solapur.
Measures enacted at these stations include controlled access to escalators and lifts to avoid overcrowding; unidirectional movement on FOBs using dividers to streamline passenger flow; real-time crowd management via coordinated CCTV surveillance and announcements, and strategic train placements to avoid multiple crowded trains arriving at neighboring platforms, the official noted.
Central Railway has also instituted measures along the route and established an emergency response protocol.
“If a train halts due to Alarm Chain Pulling (ACP) or other factors, train staff will promptly disembark to inform passengers, mitigate misinformation, and ensure safety. Nearby stations and emergency control centers will be notified to manage other passing trains,” the official explained.
The Mumbai Division has implemented additional measures for the convenience of pilgrims traveling to Mahakumbh, including running 3 daily trains from CSMT and 12 daily trains from LTT to Prayagraj, plus 2 special trains from Dadar (01025 & 01027).
Two Kumbh special trains (01033 & 01031) are currently operational, with one coach added to each of the two special trains (01025 & 01027) bound for Prayagraj, confirmed the official.
Five extra UTS ticket counters have been established at CSMT, LTT, Thane (TNA), and Kalyan (KYN), and commercial officers (3) along with commercial inspectors (18) are positioned at key locations for monitoring the rush, the official reported.
Approximately 150 Ticket Checking (TC) personnel and 45 RPF staff are assigned to trains heading to Prayagraj for queue management and security.
