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Indian railways operates 137 special trains for devotees at Mahakumbh

Indian Railways has introduced 137 special trains to facilitate the movement of devotees on the third day of the ongoing Mahakumbh in Prayagraj. These additional services supplement the 349 regular trains operating to the city, with the total number of passengers arriving at Prayagraj stations exceeding 15.6 lakh in the first two days. The special trains include long-distance services and ring rail services connecting nearby temple towns such as Chitrakoot, Ayodhya, and Varanasi.

During the 46-day Mahakumbh, Indian Railways plans to operate more than 13,100 trains, comprising over 10,000 regular and approximately 3,100 special services. The number of special trains is reported to be 4.5 times greater than during the previous Kumbh Mela. Among these, 1,800 services are for short distances, while 700 cater to long-distance travel. Additionally, 560 trains are being operated on four designated ring rail routes that connect Prayagraj with other cities. These routes include Prayagraj-Ayodhya-Varanasi-Prayagraj, Prayagraj-Sangam Prayag-Jaunpur-Prayag-Prayagraj, Govindpuri-Prayagraj-Chitrakoot-Govindpuri, and Jhansi-Govindpuri-Prayagraj-Manikpur-Chitrakoot-Jhansi.

Over 3.5 crore devotees visited the Mahakumbh Mela on the second day, attracting attendees from across the country and abroad. Railway divisions are operating additional pairs of trains to manage the heavy rush. The Bhopal division alone is preparing to introduce 15 more pairs of trains in the coming days.

To handle the influx, nine railway stations around Mahakumbh have been upgraded. Stations such as Prayagraj, Phaphamau, Rambagh, and Jhunsi have undergone remodeling to accommodate more trains. Subedarganj station has been developed as a satellite station to support Prayagraj Junction, which handled 45% of the crowd during the 2019 Kumbh. The total number of platforms in the Prayagraj region now stands at 48, following the construction of seven new platforms.

Facilities for passengers have also been enhanced, with 17 new permanent Yatri Ashrayas becoming operational, increasing the total capacity from 21,000 to over 1.1 lakh. A systematic color-coding scheme has been introduced at various stations to assist passengers in navigating waiting areas. New toilets, upgraded waiting rooms and lounges, and arrangements for drinking water and food have also been implemented. Yatri Suvidha Kendras have been launched at Prayagraj Junction and Prayagraj Chheoki to provide facilities such as wheelchairs, luggage trolleys, hotel and taxi booking, baby milk, and medicines.

Security measures have been intensified, with around 5,900 personnel, including 3,200 from the Railway Protection Force (RPF), deployed across nine stations in the Prayagraj area. A total of 1,186 CCTV cameras, including 116 with Face Recognition Systems, have been installed. Drone cameras are being used for the first time for track surveillance and crowd monitoring on approach roads to stations.

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Last Updated: 22nd Jan 2025