NEW DELHI: Indian Railways set a new milestone by operating over 15,000 trains, including 300 Mahakumbh special trains, during the 42-day religious congregation at Prayagraj, which concluded on Wednesday. The massive transport operation exceeded initial plans after an unprecedented rush of devotees, leading to an increase in services.
On Mauni Amavasya alone, a staggering 20 lakh passengers travelled on 360 trains to attend the event. Originally, the railways had planned to run 13,500 trains, anticipating nearly 50 crore visitors. However, as footfalls surged, additional trains were deployed, especially after a stampede at New Delhi station claimed 18 lives.
"A total of over 15,000 trains were operated during Mahakumbh, including a significant number of special trains," a senior railway official said. He added that Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw monitored crowd management efforts from the central control room throughout the event.
To accomodate the massive crowd on Mahashivratri, the railway had made elaborate arrangement maintaining the highest degree of alertness and vigil on safety issues to passengers from Prayagraj to other destination, the authorities tightened security, deploying 1,500 commercial staff and 3,000 RPF personnel in the Prayagraj region. Security measures included 29 RPF squads, two women RPF squads, 22 dog squads, and two bomb squads to ensure smooth passenger movement.
On the final day of Mahakumbh, the railways operated 335 trains, transporting over 16 lakh devotees safely from Prayagraj to their destinations.