Railways Sets Up Temporary Stoppages For Magh Mela Devotees
The railway has introduced brief temporary halts of two to three minutes at select stations to make travel easier and more convenient for devotees.
Published : January 3, 2026 at 3:52 PM IST
New Delhi: As the 2026 Magh Mela draws lakhs of devotees to the sacred grounds, the railways have stepped up efforts to make the journey smoother and more comfortable for pilgrims and regular passengers alike. From January to February 15, temporary stoppages have been introduced for over 200 train trips at key stations along the Mela route.
The initiative is aimed at allowing devotees to board and accompany the annual religious gathering.
The railway has introduced brief temporary halts of two to three minutes at select stations to make travel easier and more convenient for devotees.
Anticipating concerns over train punctuality, the railway has assured passengers that the additional stoppages have been carefully planned after reviewing train schedules, following which limited numbers of extra halts are introduced as the brief pauses of one or two minutes will be absorbed within the existing margin time of each train. This arrangement is not expected to affect the scheduled arrival times of services during the Magh Mela period.
In addition, during the mela, the terminal of five pairs of trains and stoppage of 7 pairs of trains are being shifted from Prayagraj Junction to Subedarganj station.
“For the information and convenience of passengers, this change in train platform numbers at Prayagraj Junction and Subedarganj Stations is being displayed on platform display boards and electronic boards at various locations, and will also be announced through the public address system,” Amit Kumar Singh, Public Relations Officer of North Central Railway (Prayagraj Division), said.
Colour Coding For Direction At Railway Stations
To ensure smooth, safe and confusion-free movement of devotees during the Mela, the division has implemented a direction colour coding system at major stations. Under this system, different colours have been assigned to each travel direction at major stations in the Prayagraj area, including Prayagraj Junction, Prayagraj Chheoki, Naini and Subedarganj.
The colour coding system enables devotees to easily identify their direction of travel upon entering the station premises and guide them to the appropriate passenger shelters and entrance gates without confusion. This initiative is expected to play a key role in improving crowd management and ensuring a safe, organized, and passenger-friendly travel experience. Through this colour-coding system, devotees arriving at the station will be able to clearly understand, without any additional inquiries, which colored passenger shelter and which gate they need to use for their train to their destination. This will eliminate confusion among passengers, ensure balanced distribution of crowds, and maintain smooth, safe, and controlled movement within the station premises during the Magh Mela period.
Directional System At Prayagraj Junction:
- For Lucknow/Varanasi (Banaras) direction: Red
- Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction direction: Blue
- Manikpur direction: Yellow
- Kanpur direction: Green
Direction-Wise Arrangements At Naini Junction:
- Kanpur direction: Green
- Jhansi direction: Blue
- Satna direction: Red
- Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction direction: Yellow
Reserved Passengers Direction-wise Arrangements At Prayagraj Chheoki Station:
- Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction direction: Green
- Manikpur direction: Red
Major Bathing Festivals
The major bathing festivals during Magh Mela - 2026 are Paush Purnima (January 3), Makar Sankranti (January 15), Mauni Amavasya (January 18), Basant Panchami (January 23), Maghi Purnima (February 1), and Mahashivratri (February 15).
