New Delhi, Nov 6 Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday visited New Delhi Railway Station and reviewed crowd-control measures and passenger amenities during the festive season.
Expressing satisfaction, Vaishnaw said lessons learnt from the previous year have been implemented to improve facilities and station accessibility.
Speaking to mediapersons, he said that while a holding area was created for unreserved passengers last year, another holding area has been set up this year for reserved passengers, based on the experience gained during the festive season last year.
Vaishnaw walked around the station’s access areas and reviewed the platform entry and exit points and common areas to get a first-hand experience of passenger comfort.
However, he refrained from entering the station premises due to the heavy rush of passengers waiting for their trains, realising that his presence could cause them inconvenience.
“I spoke to some of the passengers, and they have expressed satisfaction,” Vaishnaw said.
According to him, shifting luggage X-ray scanners to the outer areas, improving entry and exit points, operating additional special trains and deploying more Railway Protection Force personnel have enhanced safety, comfort and seamless movement of passengers at the station.
Vaishnaw said that the Delhi area, which comprises five railway stations, handles an average daily footfall of 5 lakh passengers. However, during festivals, the figure rises to 8 lakh.
He added that 700 AI-enabled cameras had been installed to monitor passenger movement and facilitate appropriate crowd-control measures.
Drawing a comparison, he said the Railways had operated around 12,000 special trains in 2025, many of which were subsequently converted into regular services.
“This year, we are running 18,000 special trains during the festive season, covering Durga Puja, Deepawali and Chhath Puja,” Vaishnaw said.
He said that passenger travel data spanning 10 years had been analysed in detail using an AI model to understand passenger movement patterns, and special trains had been arranged accordingly to meet anticipated demand.
Vaishnaw said the maximum number of special trains had been planned for Friday, as Dhanteras is considered one of the peak days for passenger traffic.
He also said six special trains have been kept ready at the Shakurbasti depot. Several such trains have also been arranged at New Delhi, Anand Vihar and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations as contingency measures to handle any sudden surge in passenger traffic.
War rooms at four levels — station, divisional office, zonal office and Railway Board — were operational to constantly monitor crowd situations, he said.
The Railway Ministry has taken several crucial steps to improve passenger safety and amenities following the deadly stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on February 15, 2025, which claimed 18 lives.
Besides separating platform access for reserved and unreserved passengers, the ministry has simplified station access procedures, improved parking facilities by creating additional spaces, and introduced more organised entry points to ensure greater convenience for visitors.
Officials said that last year, the Railway Ministry had released a list of 12,011 special train trips that contained several anomalies. Many regular trains were listed as special trains, while local MEMU and DEMU services were also included to inflate the figure to 12,000.
Although the Railway Minister has claimed that 18,000 special trains are being operated this year, the ministry has not yet released any data or a list detailing these services.
(PTI News)
