Surat: In anticipation of the heavy passenger rush during the Holi and Dhuleti festival, the Western Railway has decided to ban the issuance of platform tickets at Surat and Udhna railway stations from March 13th to March 16th. This measure aims to control the overwhelming crowd at the stations.

The decision comes as a result of the significant surge in passengers traveling to their hometowns in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan for the festival. On Tuesday alone, over 10,000 passengers departed from Surat towards these destinations. Special trains have been deployed to accommodate the increased traffic, and these trains are running at full capacity. Approximately 25,000 people have left Surat and Udhna for their hometowns in the past three days.

The railway authorities have observed a substantial increase in the number of relatives and friends accompanying passengers to the stations, further contributing to the congestion. To manage the crowd and ensure passenger safety, the ban on platform tickets has been implemented.

The Western Railway has also extended the ban to other stations, including Vapi, Valsad, Mumbai Central, and Bandra, during the same period.

Notably, there has been a 15% increase in passengers traveling to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan this Holi compared to previous years. In addition to the regular trains, special trains like the Udhna-Danapur special have been operating from Udhna Railway Station for the past three days, and these trains are also fully booked.

Looking ahead to the upcoming summer vacation, the railway has already planned to run special trains from Surat and Udhna to manage the expected vacation travel rush. DeshGujarat