On Mauni Amavasya, over 8 crore devotees took a dip at the Sangam. In the days leading up to the festival, millions of devotees poured into Prayagraj, prompting the Prayagraj Railway Division to implement extensive arrangements for their safe and smooth travel.
More than 360 trains along with a record 222 Mela Special trains were run on Wednesday. These special trains ran throughout the day from all railway stations across Prayagraj.
Meanwhile, streamlined ticket distribution, designated shelter and holding areas, and coordinated efforts with GRP and civil police to ensure smooth entry and exit of pilgrims were also initiated.
As the crowd surged around 8 AM, the Khusro Bagh Holding Area was activated. With the assistance of civil police, devotees were guided in an orderly manner from Khusro Bagh to Prayagraj station, ensuring smooth boarding of trains.
To oversee operations, NCR general manager Upendra Joshi monitored the situation from the war room, while divisional railway manager Himanshu Badoni managed coordination from the control room.
However, there were minor hiccups in operations as can be expected in an exercise of such gargantuan proportions.
{{/usCountry}}However, there were minor hiccups in operations as can be expected in an exercise of such gargantuan proportions.
{{/usCountry}}Passengers didn’t have it easy catching trains from different railway stations of Prayagraj. The majority of passengers were upset because trains were running late. ‘Why are they late when there is no fog’, was the common question.
Another reason for passenger anger was that the Railways did not inform them of trains running late beforehand through SMS.
Also, the railway police action of restricting entry irked passengers. They were allowing entry to stations only to those whose train was about to approach.
Women passengers complained that railways should have allowed women, elderly people to enter stations on production of valid tickets.