Central Railway runs 862 Holi special trains, carries over 24 lakh passengers

Central Railway CR operated 862 Holi special trains in addition to its regular services to manage the festive travel rush carrying over 2418 lakh passengers in the four days leading up to Holi The largescale operation was aimed at helping passengers travel conveniently to celebrate the festival with their families across the countryAccording to Central Railway the special trains included fully airconditioned services unreserved specials and trains with a mix of AC sleeper and general secondclass coaches connecting several highdemand destinations across IndiaHigh Occupancy on Holi Special ServicesOut of the total special services 670 trains were operated directly by Central Railway recording an average occupancy of 10506 per cent indicating strong demand for festival travelThe railway administration operated Holi special trains to multiple states A total of 409 trains were run for intrastate travel within Maharashtra while 142 trains were operated to Uttar Pradesh 82 trains to Bihar and 21 trains to Goa catering to the heavy passenger rush during the festive periodOver 24 Lakh Passengers Travel in Four DaysCentral Railway reported that 2418 lakh passengers travelled on both regular and special trains between February 27 and March 2 2026 in the days preceding Holi Of these around 7 lakh passengers travelled from Mumbai highlighting the significant festive travel demand from the cityThese special trains were carefully planned to connect key destinations across the country ensuring smooth movement of passengers travelling to their hometowns and other cities for Holi celebrationsExtensive Crowd Management and Passenger FacilitiesTo manage the surge in passenger movement during the festive season Central Railway implemented several arrangements at major stations including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus CSMT Lokmanya Tilak Terminus LTT and Pune Holding areas were created at these stations to regulate passenger flow and manage crowds effectivelyStations were equipped with covered sheds adequate lighting ventilation drinking water facilities fans toilets charging points food stalls and passenger address systems to enhance passenger comfort Help desks were also set up at several stations to provide proper guidance to travellers while Mobile UTS Sahayaks were deployed at CSMT to assist passengers with ticketing servicesTechnology and Security Measures StrengthenedCentral Railway also ensured effective crowd management with the deployment of ticket checking staff and Railway Protection Force RPF personnel at major stations Queue formation for passenger boarding was strictly monitored under the supervision of RPF personnel and commercial staffRailway officials used AIbased systems and dedicated war rooms to monitor ticket availability and passenger trends in real time Coordination with RPF and Government Railway Police GRP was also maintained to ensure safety and security at major stationsRailway authorities stated that the planning and operation of additional trains is a continuous process with demand assessed through various communication channels such as media reports social media platforms the Railway Integrated Helpline number 139 and waitlist data from the Passenger Reservation System PRSWith enhanced passenger services efficient arrangements and continuous monitoring Central Railway said it remains committed to ensuring safe comfortable and convenient travel for passengers during the festive season