WR Press Release No. 2025/02 Mumbai, 27th February, 2025 *WR PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN CARRYING MAHA KUMBH PILGRIMS* _*Around 1.70 lakh pilgrims travelled through Kumbh Special trains from various stations across WR*_ During the Maha Kumbh, a huge multitude of pilgrims had gathered at Prayagraj. Many departments and agencies played their respective roles, but the role of Railways is undoubtedly leading in it. Indian Railways helped pilgrims & devotees from all over the country to reach the holy land of Prayagraj, and also created a unique record in terms of rail operations. Approximately, almost 15 crore pilgrims took advantage of train travel during this one and a half month event. In other words, about one-fourth of the pilgrims of Maha Kumbh went by rail transport to reach Prayagraj or nearby major cities. According to a press release issued by Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, Shri Vineet Abhishek, the Special Trains run by Western Railway played a crucial role in facilitating the movement of the devotees. Western Railway operated 125 trips of Special trains from various stations of WR viz. Mumbai Central, Vapi, Valsad, Udhna, Vadodara, Vishwamitri, Ahmedabad, Sabarmati, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Indore, etc to cater to this huge rush of pilgrims proceeding to attend the Maha Kumbh. 26 trips of Kumbh Special trains were run from Mumbai Central Division, 24 trips from Ahmedabad Division, while 8 trips are from Bhavnagar Division, 4 trips from Rajkot Division, 2 trips from Vadodara Division & 6 trips are from Ratlam Division. These Special Trains were run to Prayagraj, as well as other nearby railway stations and it is estimated that around 1.70 lakh pilgrims travelled by these Kumbh Special trains. Shri Vineet informed that the Indian Railways played a leading role in making the Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj, divine and grand. All efforts were taken in making the journey of the pilgrims & devotees gathering at Maha Kumbh, a pleasant and spiritual experience. Railways had started giving concrete shape to their action plan much before the commencement of Maha Kumbh. To meet the increased travel demand, plans were made to run trains according to the estimated number of pilgrims from different parts of the country, especially on specific occassions. In view of the huge demand, the railways adopted special measures for this and additional extra trains were run. Senior Railway officials were monitoring the ongoing situation round the clock from the war room, where CCTV camera footages from all the railway stations were being received. Accordingly, the plans were drawn & preparations were reviewed to manage the situation. Also, special arrangements were made to remove the pressure on any one route, at any particular train or station. Special trains were run one after the other according to the number and demand of pilgrims. Indian Railways provided the best of services to the pilgrims attending the Maha Kumbh 2025. The Railway administration worked tirelessly to ensure that the devotees have a safe and comfortable journey to and from the Maha Kumbh. *****