Udhna station handles about 1.57 lakh passengers in three days of Diwali and Chhath rush

Western Railway's Mumbai Division handled about 1.57 lakh passengers at Udhna station between November 6 and 8, amid the crowds of the Diwali and Chhath festival season. Western Railway shared the information in a statement issued on Monday.

According to the railway, a total of 1,56,716 passengers were recorded moving through Udhna station over the three days. Of these, 1,29,162 passengers departed and 27,554 arrived. A total of 111 trains halted at the station. For passenger convenience, 27 regular trains and 19 TOD (Train on Demand) special trains were run, all of which started from Udhna.

The crowd was at its heaviest on the night of November 7 and 8. Within just 15 hours, the station handled about 44,000 passengers.

During the peak hours, Western Railway ran additional TOD special trains at intervals of two hours. The aim was to let passengers leave the station quickly and keep too large a crowd from gathering at Udhna.

For tickets, 17 ticket counters, 13 automatic ticket vending machines (ATVMs) and 12 mobile UTS facilities were kept running round the clock so that there was no hold-up in getting tickets. About 60 ticket-checking staff were deployed in each shift to help passengers and handle ticket-related work. About 300 personnel of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP) were also deployed to control the crowd and maintain security.

Western Railway said improvements made at Udhna station before the festival played an important role in handling the higher traffic. The railway's passenger facility centre, described as the largest in the country, was opened on October 31, 2026. It spreads over about 10,000 square metres and has modern passenger amenities. Platform No. 6 at Udhna has also been made a high-level platform, with a new surface, a roof, passenger amenities and CCTV cameras.

According to the railway, the three days of traffic could be managed because of coordination among the RPF, the GRP, the state police and staff of railway departments including commercial, operating and mechanical.

The number of passengers is now expected to rise again because of Chhath. Western Railway has prepared a crowd-management plan for November 9 to 13. It includes special trains run from the Mumbai Division and Udhna station, among them services connecting destinations in eastern India. Separate plans have been drawn up for the division and for Udhna station, taking into account the expected passenger movement over these five days. According to the railway, the additional services are meant to improve connectivity and make travel easier for passengers going home for Chhath.