Holi Travel Rush: Pune Railway Station Introduces Holding Zone To Manage Festive Crowd
Holi Travel Rush: Pune Railway Station Introduces Holding Zone To Manage Festive Crowd
Pune | February 28, 2026
To handle the ежегод festive surge of passengers travelling to northern states during Holi, special crowd-management arrangements have been put in place at Pune Railway Station. The measures, implemented by the Indian Railways from Thursday, February 26, include the creation of a dedicated holding zone within the station premises to regulate passenger movement and enhance safety.
Every year ahead of Holi, thousands of travellers head to their native places in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, leading to severe congestion at the station. With multiple special trains being introduced for the festive season, railway authorities have adopted preventive strategies to avoid overcrowding and stampede-like situations.
As part of the new facility, only passengers with confirmed tickets are being permitted to enter the platforms. Others are required to wait in the designated holding area until their train announcements. This step aims to reduce pressure on platforms, where excessive crowding often makes boarding and alighting difficult.
To ensure smooth operations, additional personnel from the Railway Protection Force (RPF), private security staff and senior railway officials have been deployed across the station. A structured queue management system has also been introduced, particularly on Platform No. 1, which handles trains bound for high-traffic destinations in the northern and eastern states.
The holding zone has been set up behind the state transport bus stand within the station complex, near the VIP room, to accommodate excess crowds efficiently. Basic passenger amenities, including drinking water, toilet facilities and mobile charging points, have been arranged. Passengers whose trains are delayed will also be accommodated in this area.
Railway officials stated that passenger numbers at Pune station rise sharply during festivals, making proactive crowd-control planning essential. Currently, the station operates six platforms, manages around 220 to 230 train movements daily, including 78 originating services, and serves nearly two lakh passengers every day—a figure that increases significantly during major festivals like Holi.
