Railways to ferry 700,000 passengers with record 380 Ganpati special trains

According to railway officials, Central Railway will operate the largest share of services, with 296 trips scheduled to cater to the heavy festive demand in Maharashtra and the Konkan region

MUMBAI: The railways has made provision to ferry 700,000 passengers by train this Ganeshotsav, rolling out a record 380 special services, each with a carrying capacity of 2,000 to 4,000 passengers. The majority of these trains will operate from major Mumbai terminals such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Dadar, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Bandra Terminus, Mumbai Central, Diva and Panvel, with halts at most Konkan belt stations, including Ratnagiri, Kudal, Sawantwadi and Kankavli.

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According to railway officials, Central Railway will operate the largest share of services, with 296 trips scheduled to cater to the heavy festive demand in Maharashtra and the Konkan region. Western Railway will add 56 trips, Konkan Railway six trips and South Western Railway 22 trips. In comparison, 305 Ganpati special trips were operated in 2023 and 358 in 2024, making this year’s figure of 380 the highest in recent years.

“The total number of Ganpati specials is the highest so far. This is apart from the 201 daily trains we run from different stations in Mumbai,” said a senior CR official. Each long-distance train normally carries around 2,000 to 2,500 passengers, but during the festival rush the numbers swell to nearly 4,000, including luggage. Ganeshotsav will be celebrated from August 27 to September 6, and to manage the crowd, Ganpati specials have been running since August 22, with services gradually being increased as the festival approaches.