Dwaraka Bus Station and Vizag Railway Station witness heavy festive rush ahead of Sankranti

The Dwaraka Bus Station and Visakhapatnam Railway Station witnessed heavy rush on Sunday (January 11, 2026) as people travelled to their native places to celebrate the Sankranti festival. The festive season triggered a massive movement of passengers, resulting in overcrowding at railway and bus stations across the city.

People jostled and pushed one another as soon as a bus or train arrived at the platform in an attempt to secure a seat. In many instances, passengers even entered buses and trains through the windows to claim one.

Buses heading towards Srikakulam, Palasa, Vizianagaram, Salur, and several other regions witnessed extremely heavy demand. Despite an increase in the frequency of buses, passengers felt that the available seats were still insufficient. Some travellers said that additional buses should have been deployed to manage the crowd. The non-stop bus counters, in particular, were seen with long and winding queue lines throughout the day.

“We have been waiting for a long time, but could not get our train reservation confirmed due to the Sankranti rush. So, the last option left for us was taking a bus. However, the situation here looks horrible,” said G. Gopi Krishna, a native of Ichchapuram in Srikakulam district, who was waiting at the Dwaraka Bus Station.

Several people chose to ride two-wheelers instead of boarding overcrowded buses or trains. Some were seen travelling dangerously, with four persons—including two children—riding on a single bike along with luggage.

Meanwhile, cab drivers and van operators seen operating services between Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam allegedly charged slightly higher fares compared to RTC buses. These services were particularly active between Maddilapalem and Madhurawada bus stops.

Passenger rush ahead of Sankranti festival at Visakhapatnam Railway station on Sunday.
| Photo Credit:
V. RAJU

A similar situation prevailed at the railway station. Trains running towards Vijayawada, Guntur, Bhubaneswar, and Palasa were in huge demand. From the early hours of the day, passengers started arriving at the railway station, and all platforms were packed with travellers.

The National Highway-16 witnessed a steady flow of private travel buses entering the city from Vijayawada, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. Considering the festive demand, a few private buses were reportedly charging additional fares, according to some travellers.

Meanwhile, officials of the Road Transport Authority (RTA) have been conducting checks at various locations and booking cases against violations.