Chhath Puja: Packed Stations, Passengers Standing In Toilets As Overloaded Trains Struggle With Festival Rush

As Chhath Puja approaches, railway stations are seeing a massive rush of passengers. Despite special trains, heavy crowding has left commuters struggling for space, with claims of passengers standing inside toilets.

As Chhath Puja approaches, railway stations across India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Surat, and Patna, are witnessing an unprecedented rush of passengers heading to their hometowns. Despite special trains introduced by Indian Railways, heavy crowding has left commuters struggling for space, with reports of passengers unable to find even standing room. 

At Delhi’s Anand Vihar Railway Station, special tents have been set up to accommodate the throngs awaiting trains. However, in Mumbai, the situation has turned particularly dire, with some passengers forced to hang onto train doors at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) due to lack of space.  Several passengers have reportedly resorted to standing or sitting in toilets as all available seats remain occupied.

On social media platform X, a video showed a passenger remarking how he has covered 13 hours of travel while standing in a congested space, with eight more hours to go. "There is no food, in fact, there are quarrels and pushing. We cannot do anything, a lot of people are being stuffed (in the train). The condition is bad, we are standing here like dogs," the man said.

Another passenger said, "I am travelling from Rohtak standing for 13 hours, people are standing even inside toilets."

In Patna, delayed train services have further exacerbated the plight of commuters. Passengers bound for Bihar and surrounding regions report waiting for hours for delayed trains, an issue compounded by overwhelming crowds. Similar scenes have unfolded at Surat’s Udhna Railway Station, where travellers shared their difficulties boarding and alighting trains amid the rush, worsened by the disorganised state and unclean conditions.

Indian Railways' Special Trains, Arrangements To Accommodate Chhath Puja Surge

To manage the crowd, Indian Railways has deployed the Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) at major stations and set up Rail Sewaks to assist senior citizens and those with physical challenges.

According to news agency IANS, Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information and Publicity for the Railway Board, stated, “Special arrangements have been made at major stations including New Delhi, Anand Vihar, Ahmedabad, Surat, Baroda, Mumbai, Bandra, Vijayawada, Vishakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru. We are running more than 160 special trains on Thursday and plan to operate over 170 on Sunday to accommodate the surge.”

Railways has also added extra coaches to ease congestion and installed hundreds of CCTV cameras at key stations to monitor the influx of passengers. According to Satish Kumar, Chairman of the Railway Board, 195 special trains are running from Delhi alone over 13 days, specifically to handle the increased demand during Chhath Puja. Passengers can book tickets through both online and offline channels, with unreserved seats available for those unable to secure confirmed tickets. Kumar noted, “We have restricted unnecessary movement and are ready to assist all passengers during this crucial festival period.”

On the arrangements at Charbagh railway station and special trains being run for Chhath Puja, Lucknow Divisional Railway Manager Sachinedra Mohan Sharma told news agency ANI, "In Lucknow division, we have passed 51 special trains... We hope the passengers are able to travel on these trains..."

Chhath Puja, a festival honouring the Sun God, is widely celebrated in northern and eastern India, notably in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand.