Western Railway GM reviews festive crowd management at Bandra

Mumbai, Oct 21 (PTI) Western Railway General Manager Vivek Kumar Gupta on Tuesday took stock of arrangements to handle the passenger rush for Diwali and Chhath Puja at the Bandra terminus here.

The WR is operating more than 2,400 trips with nearly 80 pairs of special trains, most of them north-bound, he told reporters.

Of these, 1,586 trips originate from Gujarat, 738 from Maharashtra and 90 from Madhya Pradesh, including around 50 trips of unreserved special trains.

Last October, at least nine passengers were injured in a stampede after rushing to board a train at the Bandra railway station.

To facilitate easy ticketing, a mobile UTS facility has been introduced, enabling booking staff to approach passengers directly for issuing tickets.

Additional Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel have been deployed to guide passengers and maintain orderly movement at stations, he said.

"All regular and special trains are being escorted by RPF personnel for enhanced safety," Gupta said, adding that CCTV systems are monitored round-the-clock to prevent untoward incidents.

War rooms have also been set up for continuous crowd monitoring at sensitive stations.

Free drinking water and adequate toilet facilities have been provided at major stations for passenger convenience.

At the Bandra terminus, where nearly 70,000 passengers travelled between October 15 and 21, a temporary holding area of 350 square metres with a capacity of 450 passengers and a permanent one of 702 square metres accommodating 1,000 passengers have been created.

Both are equipped with lighting, fans and a public announcement system.

To prevent overcrowding, the sale of platform tickets has been temporarily suspended at Bandra Terminus, Vapi and Surat stations.

The Western Railway has also instructed staff to avoid stacking parcels on platforms to ensure passenger safety.

"Continuous monitoring and coordinated efforts are being made across all divisions to manage the heavy festive rush effectively," Gupta said, urging passengers to plan journeys in advance, use mobile ticket apps and cooperate with railway staff. PTI KK KRK