Patna: Thousands of passengers across Bihar are stranded at railway stations after travelling home to vote in the Bihar Assembly elections, as train seats remain unavailable and waiting lists climb above 250 for most long-distance routes.
Over the past week, migrant workers and voters had returned to their villages to cast their ballots. Now, with polling completed, they are struggling to return to their workplaces in Delhi, Mumbai, Punjab, and Gujarat. Major railway hubs such as Patna Junction, Ara, Buxar, Darbhanga, and Muzaffarpur are witnessing huge crowds, with many passengers forced to sleep on platforms overnight.
“We came home only to vote. Now we are stuck here,” said Ramesh Thakur, a Darbhanga resident working in Delhi. “The waiting list is above 300, and even bus fares have doubled.”
Railway officials attribute the congestion to the combined impact of post-election travel and the Chhath festival rush. A senior Patna Division official said that proposals are being prepared to run special trains to ease the pressure. “Passenger load has exceeded expectations this week. Additional trains will be introduced soon,” the official said.
Meanwhile, bus stations are also overwhelmed, with private operators charging steep fares. Passengers allege that ticket prices for routes to Delhi and Mumbai have more than doubled since the weekend.
The district administrations in Patna and Muzaffarpur have urged the railways to open extra ticket counters and deploy security to manage the crowds. For now, travellers remain hopeful that the chaos will ease in the coming days as additional trains begin operations.
