Special Vande Bharat Train Launched as Prayagraj Sangam Station Shuts for Mahakumbh 2025 Crowd Control

Aug, 3 2025

Mahakumbh 2025 Pushes Prayagraj Rail System Into Overdrive

Prayagraj’s Sangam railway station has gone silent just when you’d expect the loudest crowds. With over eight million pilgrims already thronging the city for Mahakumbh 2025, authorities locked down the key Sangam transit point until February 16. The move? Part practical, part desperate—crowd control simply became impossible with the station so close to the riverbank where the Mela’s heart beats. Instead of channeling everyone through Sangam, organizers are rerouting passengers to other city stations like Prayagraj Junction, Naini, Phaphamau, Subedarganj, Prayag, Jhusi, and Prayagraj Chheoki.

The closure, first planned just for February 9–14, quickly got extended. The simple reason: the old timeline didn’t cut it, not with the swelling tide of visitors surging in for holy dips at the confluence. Local rail officials say the adjustment hasn’t thrown a wrench in their overall network; in fact, they’ve managed to keep traffic moving and services stable. As of February 10, they’ve already handled more than 191 trains and shifted those millions of travelers through alternate routes. If you’ve ever tried crossing the city during the Mela, you’ll know that’s no small feat.

Special Vande Bharat Train Rolls Out for Pilgrims

To ease the burden even further, Indian Railways unveiled a special Vande Bharat train service dedicated to festival-goers. The idea is to move masses faster and more efficiently between major stations and the Kumbh zones, enhancing pilgrim comfort and slashing waiting times. With the Vande Bharat train now in play, devotees have a much-needed alternative to the packed, slower local services they've faced in past Melas.

This year, organizers clearly learned from previous chaos. Staff have been posted at every key station to answer questions, direct lost souls, and keep tempers from fraying. Policemen and volunteers man barriers, helping manage queues and staving off dangerous surges near ticket counters and platforms. On paper, the plan looks like one of the city’s smoothest attempts at keeping the world’s biggest religious gathering moving.

But as always, things on the ground aren’t perfect. Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav slammed the Uttar Pradesh government over jammed roads, endless queues for basic supplies, and a general shortage of essentials for pilgrims—especially at the most crowded sites. Images of clogged entry points and tired, frustrated travelers quickly found their way onto social media, firing up a familiar tug-of-war between political parties.

With weeks still to go before the Mahakumbh ends, Prayagraj’s residents, officials, and visitors will be watching closely to see if the city’s new trains and shutdown plans really keep the wheels turning, or if India’s oldest crowd-control headaches hold out for another year.