Festival special trains operated by Western Railway carried more than 2.44 lakh passengers from Ahmedabad, Udhna and Vadodara to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar between November 1 and 6, as demand for travel during Diwali and Chhath Puja created long queues and heavy crowding at stations. Including passengers travelling on regular services, the total number leaving Gujarat for their hometowns could approach 5 lakh, according to the report.
Western Railway operated 104 special trains from the three stations during the six-day period. Ahmedabad accounted for the largest share, with 56 trains carrying 1,31,827 passengers. Udhna station in Surat operated 43 trains and transported 1,05,713 passengers, while five trains from Vadodara carried 7,427 passengers.
Demand was significantly higher for Bihar-bound services. Of the total special trains, 67 were operated towards Bihar and carried 1,69,905 passengers. Another 37 trains to Uttar Pradesh transported 75,062 passengers. The figures show that Bihar-bound services carried more than twice as many passengers as the Uttar Pradesh services during the period covered by the railway data.
The pressure was highest on November 6, when 19 special trains were operated from Ahmedabad, Udhna and Vadodara. These services carried 51,667 passengers. Ahmedabad ran 12 trains with 30,767 passengers, while Udhna operated seven trains carrying 20,900 passengers. No special train operated from Vadodara on that day.
The passenger surge has required railway authorities to manage not only train capacity but also the movement of people inside stations. Special holding areas have been prepared at Ahmedabad and Udhna, where passengers can wait until their trains arrive. Railway Protection Force personnel are then helping organise passengers into queues before they move to the coaches.
Western Railway is also operating additional services under its Train on Demand arrangement. When a scheduled special train on a route is filled, another service is being operated on the same route, according to the report. The arrangement is intended to address demand during the festival travel period while reducing the risk of disorder caused by large crowds assembling on platforms.
The reported numbers also illustrate the scale of seasonal mobility linked to Gujarat’s urban economy. Ahmedabad and Surat, represented operationally by Ahmedabad and Udhna stations, are major departure points for workers and families travelling to eastern and northern India. The railway data covers only the special trains; passengers using regular services are not included in the 2.44 lakh figure. Further services and crowd-management measures will depend on demand during the continuing festival travel period.
