New Delhi: At the height of summer, railway stations across the country begin to transform into scenes of constant movement. Platforms grow crowded, reservation charts fill quickly, and the steady flow of passengers reflects one clear reality: the season of mass travel has arrived.
In response to this surge, Indian Railways has put in place comprehensive arrangements and enhanced nearly 2,000 special train trips to ensure that passengers experience smoother and more comfortable journeys.
The number of originating passengers from stations across the network to metropolitan cities and major urban centres has been rising steadily day by day. To manage this additional rush during the summer period, around 2,000 summer special train trips have been introduced. These trains are designed to ease congestion on regular services and provide additional capacity to meet growing demand.
As per railway officials, these special trains are operating from various parts of the country and connecting important destinations such as Mumbai, Pune, New Delhi, Kolkata, Asansol, Hyderabad, Rajkot, Ambala, Valsad, Vadodara, Jammu (Jammu Tawi), Guwahati, Rishikesh, Hubballi, Surat, and Bengaluru,
The measures reflect an effort to manage seasonal demand, enhance passenger convenience, and ensure that long-distance travel remains accessible even during peak summer rush.
In response to this seasonal surge, a total of 58 summer special trains are being operated, covering 932 trips, originating from various stations. These services are primarily directed towards major metropolitan centres and important cities across the country, aiming to ease congestion on regular passenger trains.
Altogether, a total of 87 summer special trains are being operated either originating from or passing through the different parts of the railways, collectively covering 1,757 trips. This enhanced operation reflects a focused effort to manage seasonal passenger pressure, improve capacity utilisation, and ensure that travel during the summer period remains more accessible and comfortable for passengers across the network. By choosing to travel on these summer special trains, railway passengers can make their journeys smooth and enjoyable.
Summer special trains are being operated from major cities across the country, including New Delhi (52 trips); Kolkata (6 trips); Lalkuan (28 trips); Mumbai (Bandra Terminus—26 trips, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus—60 trips, and Hadapsar—60 trips); Guwahati (Narengi—18 trips); Yog Nagari Rishikesh (26 trips); Hyderabad (8 trips); Vadodara (36 trips); and other stations.
Additionally, summer special trains are being run between Gomti Nagar and Bandra Terminus (30 trips); Banaras and Mumbai (Lokmanya Tilak Terminus—62 trips, Mumbai Central—22 trips) and Kolkata (6 trips); Chhapra and Pathankot (30 trips) and Surat (26 trips); Mau and Ambala Cantt (32 trips), Kolkata (30 trips), Vadodara (Pratapnagar—32 trips), and Valsad (30 trips); Ghazipur City and Pune (Hadapsar—52 trips) and Shri Siddharoodha Swamiji Hubballi Junction (8 trips); Azamgarh and Bandra Terminus (30 trips); Lalkuan and Rajkot (8 trips), Kolkata (26 trips), and Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna (Bengaluru Station) (26 trips); Tanakpur and Achhnera (150 trips); and Kathgodam and Mumbai Central (10 trips), among other stations, the railways official stated.
Similarly, 29 summer special trains are being operated across 825 trips from other stations within the North Eastern railway zone to major cities throughout the country. The operation of these trains is providing significant convenience to passengers at en route stations for their travel, the railways informed.
As per Northern Railways officials, there are special train trips from New Delhi-Gaya-New Delhi (50 trips) and from Gaya to New Delhi (50 trips); Anand Vihar-Sheikhpura (26 trips) and Sheikhpura-Anand Vihar (26 trips); Varanasi-Lokmanya Tilak (8 trips) and Lokmanya Tilak-Varanasi (8 trips); Sultanpur-Lokmanya (9 trips) and Lokmanya Tilak-Sultanpur (9 trips); and other train trips.
Facility for passenger
- Drinking water—To ensure access to drinking water for passengers during the summer season, the railway administration has installed an adequate number of water coolers and water taps at various stations.
- Proper lighting systems—Passenger seating arrangements, as well as fan and lighting systems at the stations, have been significantly upgraded. Special attention is being paid to hygiene at the stations, and comprehensive cleaning arrangements have been implemented within the station premises to ensure a pleasant experience for visiting passengers.
- Safety & security arrangements at stations—In view of the increased passenger rush, continuous surveillance is being conducted from the CCTV control room, and passenger safety is being ensured through coordination with security units.
- War room for crowd management—Crowd management at major stations at North Eastern Railway is being monitored from a dedicated ‘war room’ established at the headquarters’ control centre. To oversee station operations, war rooms have been set up at both the headquarters and divisional levels, where railway officials and staff conduct round-the-clock monitoring. Senior officials have been deputed at both the headquarters and divisional levels specifically to monitor passenger crowds at stations. These officials maintain complete oversight of passengers arriving at and departing from the stations while also intensively monitoring all station-related activities.
- RPF personnel deployed—RPF personnel have been deployed across railway premises to keep a watch on suspicious individuals. These efforts are being carried out in coordination with the Government Railway Police (GRP) and the RPF. Furthermore, crowd control operations are being carried out through coordination with commercial staff. Personnel from the GRP and RPF have been deployed on foot over bridges (FOBs) to manage crowds.
- Railway’s appeal to travellers—The railway appeals to passengers and rail users to purchase food and beverage items exclusively from authorised vendors, to refrain from accepting food offered by other passengers, to avoid travelling with prohibited items, and to ensure they travel with appropriate luggage and a valid ticket. Passengers can access the ‘Rail Madad’ portal, which will remain operational 24 hours a day to address any grievances.
