Surat: As every year, a massive crowd is thronging Udhna station ahead of Diwali and Chhath Puja to catch trains to their hometowns in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha. The Railways is also running several special trains to accommodate the crowds so that migrant workers from Surat can celebrate the festivals with their families.

On Sunday, eight trains departed from Udhna to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand, carrying around 16,000 passengers. Of these, 12,000 traveled on current tickets, while 4,000 had reserved tickets. The Udhna–Jaynagar unreserved train alone carried 5,000 passengers. Passengers were gathered in the holding area before being sent to their designated trains.

To prevent overcrowding and chaos on unreserved trains, the railway authorities made all necessary arrangements in advance. At Udhna railway station, 65 RPF personnel and 51 GRP personnel were deployed. Additionally, 30 city police officers were stationed outside the station to manage traffic. Passenger movement was also monitored through CCTV cameras.

Thanks to prior preparations by the railway authorities, RPF, GRP, and city police, passengers were able to board trains smoothly, and no untoward incidents were reported. However, passengers reported long waiting times of up to 24 hours as they tried to reach their hometowns.

One passenger traveling to Azamgarh told the media on Sunday morning that they had arrived at the station the previous day but could not catch a train and had to return. They came back around 4 am and have been in the queue for hours since. Such situations emerge every Holi and Diwali, highlighting the perennial challenge of managing large festival crowds.