Despite a two-day strike by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) before the Ganpati festival, over 7 lakh passengers successfully traveled to Konkan. The Railways, State Transport (ST) and private buses effectively managed the increased demand. From September 1 to 9, 4.50 lakh passengers traveled by Ganpati Special trains and...
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another 2.50 lakh took ST buses. The occupancy on long-distance trains to Konkan was well over 100%, leading to overcrowding at stations like CSMT, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Diva and Panvel. The Railways operated 342 Ganpati special trains, with Konkan Railway alone running 316 of them. MSRTC managed to ferry 2,50,000 passengers despite the strike, with most buses running between September 4 and 8. Private bus operators also saw increased business, operating 2,700 buses to Konkan and transporting lakhs of people. The ST authorities are preparing for the return journey from September 12 to 17.