South Central Railway has operated 120 special trains in the past week to manage the festive travel rush, carrying four lakh additional passengers across its network during the Dasara, Diwali and Chhath Puja season.
The trains are being run from key South Central Railway stations to destinations with high passenger demand, including Prayagraj, Danapur, Santragachi, Nizamuddin, Tiruvannamalai, Brahmapuram, Nagercoil, Chhapra, Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Kollam and Palanpur.
The additional services also connect passengers to Tirupati, Narasapur, Kakinada, Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam Road. The destinations cover major pilgrimage, commercial and residential travel routes across southern, eastern, northern and central parts of the country.
The railway zone said extensive safety and security arrangements had been put in place at major stations to manage the increased footfall and support smoother passenger movement. The measures are focused on crowd management, passenger convenience and security at stations experiencing heavy demand.
Additional Railway Protection Force personnel have been deployed at key locations to strengthen security during the festive period. The deployment is intended to support crowd control and maintain order as passenger volumes rise at major railway stations.
South Central Railway’s Commercial Department officers have been stationed at major hubs to monitor passenger movement, coordinate arrangements and address passenger requirements. Supervisors have also been posted at smaller stations to oversee local arrangements and respond to operational needs.
The scale of the additional services reflects the pressure that seasonal travel places on the railway network, particularly on routes linking major cities with pilgrimage centres and hometown destinations. By adding special trains and assigning personnel across stations, the zone is seeking to manage the surge without relying only on scheduled services.
The railway authorities have not provided details in the supplied announcement on the individual train schedules, coach composition or the period for which each special service will operate. Passenger arrangements will continue to be monitored through officers at major hubs and supervisors at smaller stations during the festive travel period.
