EASTERN RAILWAY GEARS UP TO ENSURE SMOOTH TRAVEL EXPERIENCE DURING HOLI FESTIVAL

EASTERN RAILWAY GEARS UP TO ENSURE SMOOTH TRAVEL EXPERIENCE DURING HOLI FESTIVAL

88632 berths & 1297 seats generated

Operating 18 Holi Specials covering a total of 86 trips operating

Spare rakes were kept ready

War Rooms for monitoring 24X7 basis

Holi and Dol Yatra, the vibrant festivals of colours, are best celebrated with family and friends. During this festive period, people travel extensively to reunite with their loved ones or visit popular holiday destinations. As Holi falls on a weekend this year, the demand for train travel has surged to unprecedented levels.

Understanding the heightened demand, Eastern Railway has made special arrangements to ensure passengers can celebrate the festival without disruption. In addition to its regular services, Eastern Railway is operating Holi Special Trains to various popular destinations to accommodate the increased passenger traffic. Travelers who could not secure confirmed tickets on regular trains can avail themselves of these special services for a hassle-free journey.

For the convenience of passengers, Eastern Railway has already planned to run 18 Holi Special Trains in different directions, covering a total of 86 trips, including both Up and Down directions. The details of these special train services are Sealdah & New Jalpaiguri: 4 trips, Malda Town & Charlapalli: 2 trips, Howrah & Anand Vihar Terminal: 18 trips, Malda Town & Udhna: 4 trips, Kolkata & Puri: 6 trips, Malda Town & Pune: 2 trips, Malda Town & Anand Vihar Terminal: 2 trips, Malda Town & Delhi: 4 trips, Howrah & Raxaul: 6 trips, Sealdah & Gorakhpur: 6 trips, Kolkata & Patna: 2 trips, Kolkata & Jaynagar: 2 trips, Howrah & Khatipura: 4 trips, Howrah & New Jalpaiguri: 4 trips, Kolkata & Lalkuan: 6 trips, Kolkata & Kanpur Central: 14 trips.

Moreover, 2 Unreserved Holi Special Trains viz. Asansol ? Patna ? Asansol, Asansol ? Gorakhpur ? Asansol, covering a total of 4 trips operated.

The services of these Holi Special Trains have commenced from March 6, 2025, and will continue until the end of March 2025.

Additional Measures Taken

Deployment of substantial number of staff

To manage the huge crowds during this Holi period, Eastern Railway has deployed a substantial number of Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel at key stations across the Divisions of Eastern Railway to ensure effective crowd management. RPF and commercial teams alongwith senior officials of Divisions are actively monitoring passenger movement, maintaining orderly queues during boarding and de-boarding, and ensuring overall safety and security at railway premises.

War Room Setup For effective crowd management, Eastern Railway set up War Rooms at Divisional level & Headquarters level for monitoring the situation on 24X7 basis.

Holding Areas: Designated areas with tents have been set up for waiting passengers, along with help booths to assist travellers.

Drinking Water Facilities Adequate drinking water arrangements have been made at key stations.

Crowd Management Enhanced crowd control measures on Foot Over Bridges (FOBs).

Signage & Announcements Availability of adequate train indication boards, coach indication boards, digital clocks, and announcement systems at important stations.

CCTV Monitoring 24x7 monitoring of platform-wise crowd conditions.

Cleanliness & Hygiene: Maintaining cleanliness and hygiene remains a top priority for Eastern Railway. Comprehensive measures have been implemented to ensure clean surroundings at stations and on trains, providing passengers with a pleasant travel experience.

Eastern Railway urges passengers to cooperate by maintaining cleanliness during their journey. Keeping the environment clean is essential to make everyone?s journey joyful and comfortable.