Udhna sends 18,000 passengers home

Surat’s Udhna railway station pushed more than 18,000 passengers onto seven trains in 12 hours on April 26, turning the city’s main migrant exit point into a crush of homebound travelers. (english.loktej.com) The rush began Sunday night as workers from Surat’s textile and diamond units gathered for trains to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. Loktej reported seven departures in 12 hours, while Western Railway said more than 23,000 passengers were facilitated over the full day. (english.loktej.com) (indianexpress.com) Western Railway said the first special train left for Jaynagar at 1:30 a.m. and another for Madhubani at 5:30 a.m. Public Relations Officer Anubhav Saxena said more than 21,000 people had traveled by the time he spoke. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) (financialexpress.com) The numbers matter because Udhna is not handling ordinary city commuters here. The station is acting as a release valve for migrant laborers who work in Surat’s factories and return to home states when schools close, weddings begin and factory work slows. (indianexpress.com) (economictimes.indiatimes.com) This year’s surge also carried a sharper edge. Passengers and several reports tied the exodus not only to summer holidays but also to weaker industrial activity in Surat’s textile and diamond hub, with some workers citing LPG shortages and production cuts. (indianexpress.com) (economictimes.indiatimes.com) (financialexpress.com) The crowd had already turned volatile a week earlier, on April 19, when passengers breached barricades and police used mild force after queues broke near a departing train to Hasanpur in Bihar. Western Railway denied stampede reports and said operations were not disrupted. (indianexpress.com) (indiatoday.in) To prevent a repeat, railway authorities deployed about 400 Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police personnel, added roughly 70 staffers for ticket checks and crowd control, opened six extra ticket counters and set up a holding area with barricades and a tent outside the station. (english.loktej.com) Loktej reported Western Railway also used a live-monitoring “war room” linked to the Ministry of Railways, while senior divisional officials stayed on site to manage boarding. Two more long-distance trains were halted at Udhna on April 19 to absorb stranded passengers, according to The Indian Express. (english.loktej.com) (indianexpress.com) Passengers still described harsh conditions. The Economic Times quoted travelers who said they had stood in line through the night and in extreme heat, with limited food, water and space inside packed coaches. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) For now, the station is doing what Surat’s labor market cannot: moving thousands of workers out fast enough to keep the platforms from locking up again. (english.loktej.com) (indianexpress.com)