South Central Railway will operate nearly 400 special trains in November to manage the anticipated Chhath Puja travel rush from Hyderabad and other stations under its jurisdiction, while deploying additional staff and facilities to keep passenger movement orderly.
The services will connect passengers to high-demand destinations including Darbhanga, Patna, Chhapra, Sasaram, Danapur, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj, Shalimar and Howrah. The trains are intended to support increased travel towards Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and other northeastern states, where Chhath Puja is widely observed.
SCR authorities expect a daily footfall of around 4.6 lakh passengers across major railway stations within its jurisdiction during the period. The anticipated surge has prompted the railway zone to strengthen arrangements at stations and in circulating areas, particularly at locations expected to handle large numbers of passengers travelling towards northern and eastern India.
Additional ticket-checking staff and Railway Protection Force personnel have been deployed at stations and in circulating areas as part of the crowd-management plan. Holding areas have also been arranged at major stations so that passengers can be accommodated during peak periods rather than gathering in congested circulation spaces or near platforms.
The railway has strengthened ticketing facilities by adding Automatic Ticket Vending Machines at major stations. Passengers have also been encouraged to use the UTS mobile application to purchase unreserved tickets. QR codes for accessing the application have been displayed at ticket counters and other prominent locations.
The arrangements are aimed at reducing pressure on ticket counters and improving the flow of passengers through stations. For a festival travel period, the operational challenge is not limited to adding train capacity: the movement of passengers into stations, ticket verification, platform access and crowd dispersal also require coordinated management. SCR’s measures cover each of these immediate areas, according to the information released by the railway authorities.
The special services will be operated to destinations where demand is expected to rise during the festival. SCR is also exploring the possibility of running additional special trains by making optimal use of available resources, although the railway zone faces operational constraints in deploying further services.
The November train programme comes as railway stations prepare for a concentrated period of movement between Hyderabad and cities across northern and eastern India. The final scale of operations will depend on available resources and the railway’s assessment of demand, while passengers are being directed towards the UTS application and the additional ticketing facilities provided at stations.
SCR’s current plan is therefore centred on three linked interventions: increasing train services to major destinations, expanding personnel for security and ticket checks, and creating additional space and access points for passengers during peak hours.
