Festive rush: Temporarily curb on sale of platform tickets at select stations in Mumbai, Gujarat

Mumbai, Oct 14 (PTI) Ahead of Diwali and Chhath festivals, the Western and Central Railway have temporarily restricted the sale of platform tickets at their major stations, including Mumbai CSMT and Bandra Terminus in the financial capital, to avoid overcrowding, officials said.

The restriction on the platform ticket sale will be in effect from October 15 to 31 at the Bandra Terminus in Mumbai, and Vapi, Udhna and Surat stations in adjoining Gujarat, a Western Railway (WR) release said on Monday.

Notably, during the festive travel season in October last year, nine passengers were injured in a stampede after rushing to board an outstation train at Bandra Terminus in Mumbai.

The move to restrict the sale of platform tickets aims to ensure smooth passenger movement and safety within station premises amid the anticipated festive rush, WR Chief Public Relations Officer Vineet Abhishek said.

Exemptions will be allowed in genuine cases, such as for individuals assisting senior citizens, women passengers, divyanjan (specially-abled), persons with low literacy, or those requiring special care, the release said.

On the lines of WR, the Central Railway (CR) has also imposed temporary restriction on platform ticket sales at major stations in the Mumbai division to avoid overcrowding.

The temporary restriction on platform ticket sales will be in force at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Dadar, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT), Thane, Kalyan and Panvel stations, a CR release said on Tuesday.

To manage the heavy rush and ensure smooth passenger movement during the forthcoming Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals, the restriction on the sale of platform tickets will remain in effect at these major stations from October 16 to October 28, as per the release.

A senior CR official told PTI that they have also created holding areas at stations such as LTT, where there is open space crunch, to avoid situation like the one that prevailed at Bandra Terminus, where several passengers were injured while trying to board an unreserved train in October last year.

"Platform tickets will, however, be issued to senior citizens, ailing passengers, children, and women who require assistance," said the CR release. PTI KK GK RSY