As the four-day Chhath Mahaparva (November 13–16, 2026) begins today with the sacred Nahay-Khay ritual, railway stations across northern and eastern India are witnessing an extraordinary surge of homebound devotees. Driven by deep faith and the desire to reunite with loved ones along the riverbanks and ghats of Bihar, Purvanchal (eastern Uttar Pradesh), Jharkhand, and the Northeast, hundreds of thousands of migrant workers and families employed across Delhi-NCR, Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh are boarding trains in massive numbers. At Moradabad Junction—a crucial transit hub on the Northern Railway main line connecting Ambala, Ludhiana, Amritsar, and New Delhi with Lucknow, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Patna, and Guwahati—platforms and general compartments have been pushed past capacity.Throughout Thursday and into Friday morning, nearly every eastbound express and festival special passing through Moradabad arrived jam-packed, leaving zero standing room inside general second-class coaches. Desperate not to miss the auspicious rituals of Kharna (November 14), Sandhya Arghya (November 15), and Usha Arghya (November 16), dozens of passengers were seen standing precariously on footboards and clinging to coach doors and grab handles—turning a spiritual homecoming into a perilous journey.98 Special Trains Operated Through Moradabad Division, Yet Crowds Show No Sign of EasingTo absorb the annual post-Diwali and Chhath travel wave, Indian Railways has deployed hundreds of festival specials nationwide, including approximately 98 special trains routed through various stations of the Moradabad Railway Division so far. Out of these, 18 dedicated Chhath special trains are passing directly through Moradabad Junction.Despite these additional services and extra coaches, railway officials acknowledge that passenger demand continues to outstrip seat availability. Alongside migrant families traveling from Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Ambala, Chandigarh, and Delhi, a substantial wave of local passengers is also boarding directly from Moradabad, Rampur, Bareilly, and Shahjahanpur bound for destinations across eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal.Major Express Trains Experiencing Severe OvercrowdingCommuters on the ground report that entry into unreserved coaches has become virtually impossible within minutes of a train halting at the platform, with spillover spilling even into sleeper-class corridors on several flagship services:Shramjeevi Express (New Delhi – Rajgir): Packed to the brim with families heading toward Patna, Nalanda, and central Bihar.Kashi Vishwanath Express (New Delhi – Banaras): Witnessing heavy footfall from devotees traveling to Varanasi and adjoining Purvanchal districts.Kumbh Express (Yog Nagari Rishikesh – Howrah): Carrying dense waves of passengers from Uttarakhand and western UP toward Prayagraj, Patna, and eastern India.Sealdah Express (Jammu Tawi – Sealdah): Overwhelmed by migrant workers returning from Jammu, Punjab, and Haryana toward Bihar and Bengal.Heightened Safety Vigilance as Peak Festival Days ApproachWith the primary evening Arghya scheduled for Sunday, November 15, railway authorities expect eastbound passenger pressure to remain intense through Saturday afternoon before shifting toward a massive return rush starting Monday evening, November 16. Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel at Moradabad Junction and neighboring stations have stepped up platform patrolling and public-address announcements urging travelers not to travel on footboards, rooftops, or hanging from coach gates—reminding devotees that reaching home safely is the greatest tribute to Chhathi Maiya.
