As the nation gears up for the festive celebrations of Diwali and Chhath Puja, railway stations across India have turned into scenes of chaos and desperation. With millions of people attempting to travel back to their hometowns, especially from industrial and metropolitan cities, platforms are overflowing with passengers from states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand. The sheer scale of the rush has resulted in unprecedented congestion, leaving many stranded or struggling for space on already packed trains.
In Surat, thousands of passengers began assembling at the Udhna railway station as early as Saturday evening, eager to board weekly and special trains scheduled for Sunday departures. The crowd was so massive that the queue of passengers extended nearly two kilometers beyond the station premises, spilling over into the Limbayat residential locality. Entire families—men, women, children, and elderly passengers—were seen sitting on pavements, waiting under the open sky for more than twelve hours in dusty and uncomfortable conditions, their luggage scattered around them as they hoped to secure a seat.
Visuals captured exclusively by Aaj Tak, India Today’s sister platform, revealed heartbreaking scenes of people lining up along the roads outside railway stations, clutching their belongings and waiting endlessly amid the festive rush. Many passengers voiced frustration at what they described as a recurring ordeal every festive season. “We suffer like this every year,” said one traveler, while another added, “There’s not even standing space in the train. People are sitting inside the toilets. No proper arrangements, and no additional trains. I’ve been standing here for 24 hours.”
Passenger Nitin Jain commented that the chaotic scenes at the station reflected the ground-level reality, contradicting the railways’ claims of effective management. Many in the crowd complained of hunger, exhaustion, and inadequate facilities as they waited endlessly for their trains.
Similar overcrowding was reported from Mumbai’s Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, where railway authorities introduced strict crowd control measures. Barricades were installed to regulate movement, and separate enclosures were created for passengers with general tickets. Footage from the station showed passengers waiting in relatively organized lines, with Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel actively managing the crowd and assisting commuters. Help desks were also established to provide real-time information on train schedules, platforms, and ticketing.
Despite these preventive steps, passengers complained of being unable to get tickets, while others alleged that touts were selling tickets at inflated prices outside the stations. However, many acknowledged that this year’s crowd control arrangements were somewhat improved, as the use of barricades and queue systems reduced the risk of stampedes and accidents. “Earlier, it used to be chaotic, but this time, we are moving in proper lines,” one passenger observed.
The situation was no better in Uttar Pradesh. At Jhansi Junction, trains bound for eastern destinations such as Gorakhpur, Kanpur, and Lucknow were filled far beyond capacity. Desperate passengers were seen clinging to the sides of coaches and even entering through windows to secure a place inside. “It’s impossible to even stand,” said passenger Pratibha Yadav. “People are falling on one another. Children are suffocating.” Another traveler, Pushpendra, added, “It’s suffocating, but we must go home.”
Jhansi Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Aniruddh Kumar stated that 46 special trains had been added to the usual 150 running from the division to handle the festive demand, with 20 additional trains being operated on short notice. Despite these efforts, the number of travelers far exceeded the available capacity.
At Kanpur Central, trains heading toward Bihar and Purvanchal were so jam-packed that passengers resorted to occupying train bathrooms during the journey. Many said they had been standing for over six hours before managing to board and expected to travel the entire distance without a seat.
In Rajasthan’s Pali district, the situation turned alarming as the scarcity of trains forced passengers to take extreme risks. People were seen hanging from train doors and even attempting to climb onto the rooftops of moving trains. At Falna station, the Sabarmati–Agra Cantt Superfast Express was overflowing, with even reserved passengers struggling to enter their coaches. Locals expressed anger over repeated neglect of their requests to extend crucial short-distance services like the Ajmer–Marwar shuttle and the Abu Road–Ahmedabad EMU to Pali, which could have eased congestion.
From Surat to Jhansi and Kanpur to Pali, a similar picture emerges—massive crowds, endless queues, and a desperate struggle for space as people attempt to return home to celebrate festivals with their families. Despite the railways’ efforts to introduce special trains and regulate the flow of passengers, the overwhelming number of travelers underscores the inadequacy of India’s transport infrastructure in managing the festive migration surge.
