Ahead of the Chhath festival, a massive wave of passengers heading home to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh has thronged the Ambala Cantt railway station, creating chaotic scenes on the platforms. With thousands of people trying to make their way back to their native places, boarding a train has turned into an uphill battle for travelers. Desperate commuters are attempting to squeeze through windows, while others are left with no choice but to hang precariously from open doorways. Many passengers have pointed out that the current arrangements made by the railway administration are falling grossly short of handling the massive festive rush.
Dangerous Boarding Methods and Overcrowded Coaches
The situation at Ambala Cantt railway station becomes perilous the moment a train pulls onto the platform, triggering a frantic rush among the gathered crowds toward the bogies. General compartments are packed far beyond capacity, while heavy congestion is spilling over into sleeper and AC coaches as well. Several travelers can be seen scaling window grills to force their way inside, while others cling dangerously to the exterior doors of moving or stationary trains. Most alarmingly, some individuals are even seen trespassing across the railway tracks in desperate attempts to board oncoming trains, raising serious safety concerns and the imminent threat of major accidents.
Persistent Questions Raised Over Railway Preparations
A major question echoing among the distressed passengers is why the railway authorities fail to make adequate arrangements well in advance, given that Chhath is an annual festival that predictably witnesses a massive surge in travelers heading toward Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Although authorities frequently claim to operate numerous special trains during the festive season, the dismal ground reality at Ambala Cantt starkly exposes the gaps in planning. Travelers are fiercely demanding the introduction of more special trains alongside the attachment of extra coaches to existing ones, sparing people from having to risk their lives just to reach home.
Hours of Waiting and Choked Compartments
Sharing his plight, a traveler named Vikas Kumar stated that he has been waiting at the station since around 5 PM in hopes of catching a train to celebrate Chhath at home, but every single incoming train is already packed to the brim. He noted that the grim reality forces people to endure grueling journeys while hanging onto doorways, sitting near bathrooms, or squeezing into any available inch of floor space. Another passenger, Hari Kumar, who works as an electrician in Chandigarh and is heading home after a full year, remarked that the crowds are far heavier this time despite promises of thousands of additional services. He emphasized that authorities need to pay equal attention to ordinary unreserved trains alongside premium services.
Local Commuters and Families Caught in the Chaos
The festive gridlock is not limited to long-distance travelers alone, as local commuters are facing severe hardships as well. A woman passenger named Sunita explained that she only needed to travel as far as Saharanpur, yet she could not find an inch of space inside the trains even for a short local journey, despite traveling with small children. She urged authorities to increase the frequency of local trains during the festive period to ease the burden on daily commuters. Meanwhile, traveler Jabela Ram, who is waiting with five members of his family to head to Bihar, echoed the widespread sentiment by appealing for a massive ramp-up in train operations to accommodate everyone safely.
