Surat – Udhna Railway Station witnessed an unprecedented passenger rush on Sunday due to the onset of summer vacation, with nearly 17,000 travelers departing for North India in a single day. The surge in passengers led to a packed station, prompting the Western Railway to implement special arrangements to manage the massive crowd efficiently.
As summer holidays began, there was a noticeable increase in the number of people heading to their hometowns from Surat and Udhna. On Sunday, the situation escalated at Udhna station, where ticket booking counters were overwhelmed. In response, three additional ticket counters and five more service windows in the waiting area were opened to accommodate the rush.
Under the supervision of senior officials from the Mumbai division, a dedicated crowd management team was deployed at the station. Police personnel and railway staff were strategically positioned throughout the premises to assist passengers with ticketing and movement within the station. All ticket holders were guided via the foot overbridge to the designated eastern waiting area.
To address the holiday demand, Western Railway operated three special trains—one to Barauni and two to Jaynagar. Additionally, regular services such as the Udhna-Jaynagar Antyodaya Express and Udhna-Chhapra Tapti Ganga Express transported approximately 7,500 passengers to their destinations. Efforts are ongoing to introduce more trains from Udhna to manage the seasonal load.
In a significant move, Western Railway introduced a new unreserved special train from Udhna to Jaynagar, after operating two extra services around the Antyodaya Express. The departure of this special train helped clear the large crowd in the waiting area, providing much-needed relief to both passengers and officials. The successful operation was appreciated by local authorities and senior officials from the Mumbai division, marking it as a well-executed response to the seasonal travel surge.
