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Railways are running 386 special trains to manage the heavy rush of passengers travelling to the Konkan region for the Ganpati festival. More than 2.5 lakh passengers have reserved tickets, while another 1 lakh passengers are expected to travel on unreserved services between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Sawantwadi.
Central Railway to Operate Ganpati Special Trains & Buses
Of the 386 special trains, Central Railway is operating 258, Western Railway 64, Konkan Railway 58, and South Central Railway six. Stations including CSMT, Dadar, Thane and Panvel are experiencing heavy passenger movement, with crowded platforms, long queues and hundreds of passengers waiting for trains during peak hours.
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) is also operating 5,743 special bus services from September 10 to 13 from Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and other divisions to the Konkan region and other parts of Maharashtra.
The highest number of buses, 3,028, will operate on September 11, followed by 2,425 buses on September 12.
How does Central Railway ensure security?
Central Railway officials said crowd management is the biggest challenge. Moreover, additional security and crowd-control measures are in place with the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP) and local police to prevent overcrowding and ensure smooth passenger movement.
Complaints Regarding the Trains
There have also been complaints about train number 15087, including unclean coaches and torn seats. A Central Railway official said the train was waiting for cleaning at CSMT when passengers boarded it. Some coaches had arrived from north India attached to another train and had not yet been cleaned, but passengers entered before the cleaning was completed. Officials have also received complaints about passengers locking train doors from inside, preventing others from boarding at stations such as Thane and Panvel. Security personnel have been asked to monitor this because it can waste time and delay train operations.
Passengers can buy unreserved tickets through the UTS system and the RailOne app. Reservation counters on Central Railway will remain open for half a day on Monday, following the schedule normally observed on Sundays.