Amid the surge in crowd for Maha Kumbh, the Indian Railways on Monday closed the Prayagraj Sangam railway station till February 28. The decision comes after the recent stampede at New Delhi Railway Station which killed 18. Prayagraj administration had requested for temporary closure of the railway station to avoid any mishappening. The railway station will remain closed for 11 days. Out of the total 9 railway stations, Prayagraj Sangam Railway Station is the nearest to the Maha Kumbh fair.
These Stations To Remain Open
The other eight stations will remain operational. These include: Prayagraj Junction, Prayagraj Chheoki, Naini, Subedarganj, Prayag, Phaphamau, Jhunsi and Prayagraj Rambagh.
The temporary closure will help in efficient crowd management, which is expected to increase during Mahashivratri on 26 Februaury.
Northern Railway, Lucknow, Senior divisional commercial manager, Kuldeep Tiwari said, “All concerned are informed that as per the order of Prayagraj district administration, Prayagraj Sangam station of Northern Railway (NR), Lucknow Division, will remain closed for passenger traffic from FebruDevotees continue to arrive in large numbers at Prayagraj’s Maha Kumbh teeth kshetra to take a holy dip.
According to the UP Information Department, 3.09 million (30.94 lakhs) devotees took holy dip on Wednesday till 8 am. The total number of devotees has crossed over 555.6 million.
Meanwhile, Central Railway earlier announced the operation of four special trains for pilgrims travelling to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh. Authorities have made different arrangements and advised passengers to follow specific instructions for a smoother travel experience.
Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Swapnil Nila told ANI, “Different arrangements have been made for the passengers at the originating stations of the special trains that are being run for Maha Kumbh… Here, additional ticket booking counters, May I Help You booths, and continuous information through Public announcement systems have been arranged… Central Railway will run 4 trains for Maha Kumbh…”
