All eight stations in the Prayagraj area including the Prayagraj Junction are fully functional; Railways run 330 trains on Sunday & 201 trains by today 3 pm to ease the continued rush of pilgrims
Union Minister of Railways & the Chairman Railway Board review the ongoing rush situation & Railway’s preparedness ahead of the next Amrit Snan of Maghi Poornima on 12th February 2025
NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 10, 2025: Despite the continued heavy rush, Indian Railways is working on a war footing to serve the devotees by bringing them in & taking back their homes during the ongoing Mahakumbh. Countering a wrong media report a day before, Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the nation through media that about 330 trains from eight different stations in the Prayagraj area carried 12 Lakh 50 thousand passengers back to their homes. Even as the rush is not coming down, Indian Railways by running one train each from these stations in just above 4 minutes is making sure that devotees don’t have to wait after their holy bathing.
Ahead of the next pious Amrut Snan of Maghi Poornima, One rake of these trains is catering to on an average 3780 passengers in a single trip is showing that rush is not coming down. Reviewing the situation at a meeting with zonal & divisional railway officials, Chairman Railway Board & CEO, Shri Satish Kumar asked the officials to bring to the notice of the media all its efforts in serving the people efficiently and at full capacity. He mentioned that Prayagraj Junction along with 7 other stations Prayagraj Chheoki, Naini, Subedarganj, Prayag, Phaphamau, Prayagraj Rambagh, and Jhusi are fully functional. Despite the continued rush, Special and regular trains are running at full capacity from these 8 stations in Prayagraj area. The closure of only one station, Prayagraj Sangam, two days before and two days after any Amrit Snan is a routine practice, Shri Satish Kumar emphasized. Further, this was done on the suggestion of Prayagraj district administration and was done all through previous holy baths, the Amrit Snans. There is nothing new in it. He urged the media, Zonal & Divisional offices of public relations of Indian Railway to highlight its massive efforts to help devotees reach Mahakumbh city, especially in the light of reported traffic snarls in the adjoining areas. The fact remains that by 3 PM today, more than 201 special and regular trains had already departed from the 8 stations including the crucial Prayagraj Junction carrying more than 9 lakh pilgrims.
Earlier in the day, CRB & CEO Shri Satish Kumar briefed the Union Rail Minister, Shri Ashwani Vaishnaw about the smooth functioning of railways’ services in Prayagraj area in the war room of Rail Bhawan, where CCTV camera footage from all the railway stations were being received. Both reviewed the ongoing situation of rush & discussed the preparation of Railways ahead of the next Amrit snan of Maghi Purnima. Later Chairman, Railway Board urged the media and public in general not to fall prey to isolated media reports regarding services being affected at the crucial Prayagraj Junction. He said that the facts can easily be verified by visiting the 8 Railway stations where the Mela special trains, painted with Mahakumbh logo, are running day and night. Running 330 trains on a normal day by Indian Railway is evidence of its unwavering commitment to the people of India. This number is almost on par with 360 trains that were run on Mauni Amavasya last month, when the rush was on its historic peak.
Passengers are advised to refer to official railway sources for the latest updates and to avoid misleading information.
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