Prayagraj: Railway arrangements appeared to be under pressure due to the massive crowd of candidates on Sunday, the second day of the Uttar Pradesh Sub Inspector Recruitment Examination. Trains arriving and departing from Prayagraj were so crowded that even sleeper and AC coaches appeared like general compartments.
Due to the crowds, many passengers with reserved tickets had to travel standing, causing significant inconvenience to passengers.
Crowds of candidates throng trains
Several trains arriving from Kanpur to Prayagraj were overcrowded. These included the Chauri Chaura Express, Netaji Express, Mahabodhi Express, Mahananda Express, and Bikaner–Howrah Express.
Troublesome passengers lodged complaints on the railway helpline number and social media platform X.
Special train operated to control the crowd
In view of the increasing crowd at Prayagraj Junction, the railway administration operated an on-demand special train to Varanasi at around 8:15 pm on Sunday night.
According to Amit Kumar Singh, PRO of the Prayagraj Division of the North Central Railway, two special trains were also operated from Kanpur on Sunday. To control the crowd at the junction, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) had to queue up passengers and board them.
Bus services also came under pressure
Heavy crowds of passengers were seen on the roads as well as on the trains. Due to the increased number of passengers on the Prayagraj-Pratapgarh route, the Pratapgarh depot had to run additional buses.
Similarly, buses coming from the Kanpur route arrived fully packed. Buses from Prayagraj to Jaunpur, Azamgarh, and Varanasi were also packed.