Gurugram and Delhi-NCR railway stations witnessed an unprecedented rush of passengers heading home for the Holi 2026 festival. On March 2 and 3, the crowd at Gurugram station reached a peak, with many travelers forced to hang from train doors and footboards due to overcapacity in general coaches. Northern Railway has deployed additional staff and special services to manage the situation, as trains bound for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are seeing the highest occupancy rates.
🚨: Anand Vihar Railway Station Facing Heavy Crowds and Traffic, New Rules for Holi Travelers।
Official Security and Crowd Management Measures
To ensure passenger safety and manage the heavy footfall, authorities have implemented strict protocols across major stations. Northern Railway suspended the sale of platform tickets at five key Delhi stations including New Delhi, Old Delhi, and Anand Vihar from February 26 to March 3. In Gurugram, Police Commissioner Vikas Kumar Arora has deployed extra forces and set up 37 checkpoints to monitor sensitive areas around the railway premises.
- Holding Areas: Temporary pandals or holding areas are created to manage passengers before they reach the platforms.
- RPF Monitoring: Railway Protection Force personnel are ensuring queue-based boarding for general coaches to prevent stampedes.
- Platform Ticket Suspension: Temporary ban on non-travelers at major Delhi hubs to reduce platform congestion.
- Checkpoints: 37 security points established in Gurugram for better surveillance.
Special Trains and Passenger Data for Holi 2026
Indian Railways is operating a total of 1,244 Holi special train trips across the country to accommodate the festive rush. Out of these, Northern Railway is contributing nearly 500 special trips. According to official data, approximately 14 lakh passengers have traveled from the Delhi-NCR region in the last five days alone, with March 2 recording over 3 lakh departures in a single day.
| Metric | Details |
|---|---|
| Total Special Train Trips | 1,244 Trips Nationwide |
| Northern Railway Contribution | 500 Special Trips |
| Delhi-NCR Passenger Count | 14 Lakh (Last 5 Days) |
| Emergency Trains | 22 Extra Trains on March 3 |
CPRO Northern Railway, Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, stated that the department is monitoring the situation in real-time and running unannounced special trains based on demand. Rajesh Kumar Pandey, General Manager of Northern Railway, has been conducting inspections to ensure safety guidelines are followed. Passengers are strictly advised not to travel on footboards or roofs of the trains as RPF continues to take action against unauthorized travel in toilets and engine areas.