Satna (Madhya Pradesh): There was an unprecedented crowd at Satna junction on Monday because of the ongoing Mahakumbh in Prayagraj, UP. Although the Railway Ministry decided to run ten special trains for the occasion, the crowd swelled up. The rush was so heavy that the passengers who had reservations in the Rewa-Anand Vihar superfast express had to struggle to reach their berths.
There was a long queue at platform number one. The passengers had to wait for more than ten minutes in the queue, but many of them could not reach their berths. When the train arrived at Satna junction at 5:15 pm, it was overcrowded.
There was no room in the general compartments, and most of the reserved bogies were locked from inside. The doors were opened only after the railway police swung into action.
According to railway officials, the rush was heavier than seen on Mauni Amavasya. The officials further said 1,400 tickets had been sold from Satna to Prayagraj, but the number of passengers visiting Mahakumbh by Rewa-Anand Vihar superfast express was more than 2,500.
The situation was worrisome in terms of security of passengers. Though there were ten special trains, this superfast train was overcrowded. There are seven trains from Satna Junction, which stop at Prayagraj.
Other trains stop at Naini or Chheoki stations. The distance between Prayagraj station and Sangam is just six km. On the other hand, from Chheoki and Naini, the Sangam is 12 km. This is the reason why people prefer to go to Prayagraj to reach Sangam.
Apart from that, the timings of Rewa-Anand Vihar superfast express are suitable for the passengers. The train leaves Satna junction at 5:30pm and arrives at Prayagraj at 9pm. The first stoppage of the train after Rewa is at Satna. The passengers think the train will not have much crowd because of its limited stoppages. This is the reason why people prefer it to other trains.
