Diwali rush: 7 squeeze into train's toilet for 18-hour journey. 'Bought tickets, but no seats available'

A viral video recorded at Delhi's Anand Vihar railway station showed Bihar-bound passengers clinging to train doors, with an estimated 4,500 passengers packed into five general compartments on the Bhagalpur Express. (Representational image: PTI)

Ahead of Diwali and Chhath puja, the Indian Railways has been experiencing a massive rush. Despite arranging for 7,000 special trains with over one crore extra seats, there has been widespread complaints among passengers, mostly in the general category, who have not been able to secure space to even sit during their long journeys.

Social media visuals show people squeezing into the toilets of crowded trains in a desperate attempt to go home. In one such video from a local media house, seven passengers who had bought tickets were seen squished inside the toilet.

"There is no place to sit here. It's an 18-hour journey and we'll have to keep standing," a passenger said, adding that all the trains were packed with people leaving them no choice but to travel in the toilets.

"I was standing in queue since 3 am, still did not get a seat," another passenger complained. "The ticket examiner took money from people and gave them seats instead."

"It's such a long journey and nobody will be able to use the toilets," said a third passenger.

Recently, another viral video recorded at Delhi's Anand Vihar railway station showed Bihar-bound passengers from Delhi clinging to train doors, with around 4,500 passengers packed into five general compartments on the Bhagalpur Express, India TV reported. Several passengers at the doorway barely had enough space to balance on one foot. In its general coach, eight passengers were seen travelling in the toilet.

Meanwhile, the Indian Railways has been sharing testimonies of passengers who have benefitted from the special trains run by the government to clear the festive rush.

A passenger who got a seat on the holiday special train traveling from Khandwa to Allahabad expresses his gratitude to the Railway Administration for the excellent arrangements facilitating travel to celebrate Diwali with his family.@RailMinIndia pic.twitter.com/acjQHuAtSc
Central Railway (@Central_Railway) October 30, 2024

Apart from the 7,000 special trains, the Indian Railways has also made holding areas for passengers and including clone trains in the fleet to cater to the festive rush, Dilip Kumar executive director of Information and Publicity, Railway Board, told news agency ANI.

Passenger thanks SCR for arranging special train between Nanded - Patna so that people can reach their native places for Diwali festival #FestivalSpecialTrains2024 @drmvijayawada @RailMinIndia pic.twitter.com/m181Bnegr1South Central Railway (@SCRailwayIndia) October 29, 2024

"The number of passengers increased during the festive season of Diwali and Chhath... This year, the railway has made elaborate arrangements. More than 7000 special trains have been arranged. This has generated more than one crore seats... We are also running clone trains on important routes... We have also made holding areas for the passengers," he said.