Railways on War Footing for Mahakumbh Pilgrims: Smooth Travel Despite Huge Rush

Raipur

Indian Railways is working tirelessly to ensure the smooth travel of devotees during the ongoing Mahakumbh 2025 in Prayagraj, despite the massive crowds.  Refuting recent media reports of disruptions, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed that approximately 330 trains ferried 12.5 lakh passengers from eight Prayagraj stations back home after the last major bathing day.

The railway’s strategy involves rapid train turnaround.  With trains departing from these stations every four minutes, pilgrims experience minimal wait times after their holy dip.  Even with the persistent influx of devotees, each train, carrying an average of 3,780 passengers, demonstrates the sheer scale of the operation.  The upcoming Maghi Poornima Amrut Snan is expected to draw even larger crowds, and Railways is preparing accordingly.

Railway Board Chairman & CEO Satish Kumar, after reviewing the situation with zonal and divisional officials, emphasized the need to publicize the railway’s extensive efforts. He clarified that eight stations – Prayagraj Junction, Chheoki, Naini, Subedarganj, Prayag, Phaphamau, Rambagh, and Jhusi – are fully operational, handling both special and regular trains at full capacity.  He explained that the temporary closure of Prayagraj Sangam station for a few days around each Amrut Snan is a standard practice, based on the Prayagraj district administration’s advice, and has been implemented during previous Mahakumbhs.

Kumar urged the media and the public to focus on the overall picture of smooth operations, especially given the reported traffic congestion in surrounding areas.  As of 3 PM today, over 201 special and regular trains had already departed from the eight stations, carrying over 9 lakh pilgrims.

Earlier, Kumar briefed Minister Vaishnaw in the Rail Bhawan war room, where CCTV footage from all stations was monitored.  They discussed the current situation and preparations for the Maghi Purnima Snan.  Kumar reiterated that reports of disruptions at Prayagraj Junction are inaccurate and invited everyone to visit the eight stations to witness the dedicated Mahakumbh special trains in action.  He highlighted that running 330 trains on a normal day, comparable to the 360 trains run on the peak day of Mauni Amavasya last month, demonstrates the railway’s commitment to serving the nation.