Railways ran a total of 104 trains to serve the passenger demands at Udhna during the Diwali and Chhath festival rush. 

Of these, 44 trains were holiday specials which originated from Udhna, and almost 1/3rd of these were fully unreserved trains catering to the demands of the passengers who travel general class. 

More than 1,60,000 passengers were able to travel to their destinations to be amongst their family members to celebrate Diwali and Chhath. On 3rd November, 2024 about 31,000 passengers were facilitated to their destinations from Udhna Jn.  
*Facilities created at the station:* 

50 License Sahayak in two shifts are deployed from Surat to Udhna. Information banners/standees displaying special trains have been displayed at prominent places. 

● 20-40 Ticket Checking staff has been deployed round-the-clock at all the entry/exit points at Udhna. 

● Special ticket window in the holding area for the convenience of passengers. 

● 5 additional Ticket Counters are being operated in 15 shifts as & when required & extra 03 night shifts will be operated during the festive period. 

● 17 extra ticket booking staff deployed. 

● Additional 1 ATVM provided to cater to extra rush during period Diwali/Chhath Pooja Steps taken to reduce crowding and congestion: Western Railway has imposed temporary restrictions on the sale of platform tickets until 8th November, 2024. 

This step aims to manage platform crowding and ensure smooth passenger movement within station premises. 

*Strict compliance with free allowance for carrying luggage:

 Each passenger has a Free Allowance of luggage, allowing them to transport a designated quantity of luggage in their compartment at no extra cost. 

The Free Allowance varies for different classes of travel. If the luggage exceeds the marginal free allowance, a penalty will be charged accordingly.  

It may be noted that Free Allowance is not admissible for articles such as scooters, cycles, etc. or with consignments which have maximum dimensions of 100 cm x 100 cm x 70 cm. 

*Parcel Management:* 

 It was observed that the volume of parcels kept stacked on the platforms for loading in the trains causes inconvenience in passenger movement. To enhance passenger safety and security, Western Railway has issued instructions to avoid stacking parcel consignments on platforms for extended periods before the scheduled train departures. This has been implemented with immediate effect up to 08.11.2024. 

*Queue Management:* 

● To manage the extra inflow of passengers, additional RPF and GRP personnel have been deployed to help passengers reach the platforms conveniently in a queue formation to avoid any mishaps. 

● Additional 41 Ticket Checking Staff, 85 RPF staff, 140 GRP and 60 RSPF staff are deployed at the station. Holding Areas: New two Holding Areas and one entry road kept closed by Dist administration to hold people before dispatching them to the station area . 

● The holding areas are of adequate size, to hold the excess rush of passengers at the stations. At Udhna station, the holding areas are 2700 sqft. (near station building), 10125 sqft. (near parking) and 3150 sqft. (east side of the station). 

● These areas are equipped with adequate lighting and fans for comfortable waiting for the passengers. 

● Drinking water facilities have been provided along with toilet facilities. 

● Public announcement system is available inside the holding area which will keep waiting passengers updated about train movements. 

● This area will minimize the number of waiting passengers at the platform and allow for smooth entry of passengers to the trains ensuring a safe and smooth journey for the passengers. 

● Moreover, Ticket Checking staff, RPF & GRP staff are guiding passengers through the Public Announcement System. *Ensuring a safe and secure journey:* 

● Extra RPF and GRP personnel, Scout and guide, NCC and other voluntary groups have been deployed for trains heading toward the northern states of the country, especially in General and Sleeper coaches, to manage the crowd and facilitate them for a comfortable journey. 

● In addition, plainclothes CPDS (Crime Prevention and Detection Squad) teams from the RPF and GRP are actively patrolling the stations to keep a watch on any suspicious activity and prevent theft. 

● To keep a close watch on the crowd, round-the-clock CCTV monitoring has been activated across the stations. 

● Dedicated staff have been assigned to constantly monitor the station premises, and field units will be alerted if crowd density increases in any specific areas and RB .

*Making passengers aware through the media:* 

● Publicity of special trains & to ensure proper dissemination of the information to the public. 

● Regular Tweets, Social Media posts, newspaper ads, press releases, etc. are being done to keep passengers informed about additional train services. 

● Here are some of the tweets to inform passengers regarding the additional train services being run for Diwali/Chhath Puja season: 

 *Benevolence from various NGOs to assist passengers at stations:* Several NGOs came forward to bring relief to passengers waiting at stations by providing drinking water, biscuits, refreshments, etc. 

These NGOs were also helpful in crowd management along with the additional deployment of RPF and GRP personnel. 

Udhna Jain Samaj distributed food packets and biscuits, while Surat Smart City Lions Group distributed water jars. Bihar Vikas Parishad and Insta Advertising distributed packaged drinking water among passengers.