New Delhi, Aug 2 (UNI) Appointment of station directors with real-time decision powers, creation of permanent holding areas for unconfirmed passengers, strict access to platforms, installation of wider foot over bridges (FOBs) with ramps, enhanced CCTV surveillance, dedicated rooms for crowd coordination, deployment of advanced communication tools, intensified coordination with security agencies like Government Railway Police and Railway Protection Force.
These are some of the slew of measures being undertaken by the Indian Railways to streamline passenger movement and prevent overcrowding during peak festive seasons at 73 busiest major stations across the country.
The move follows months after stampede at New Delhi Railway Station in the national capital in February where at least 18 people died and many were injured due to the stampede.
The Railway Ministry-led probe had attributed it to a passenger dropping a heavy load carried on the head, causing a fall on the staircase.
In a written reply to Rajya Sabha recently, Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw underlined that “Passenger safety remains the top priority. These measures are designed to make train travel safer and more comfortable, particularly during festivals when crowd pressure peaks.”
He detailed that the station directors are senior officers vested with financial and operational powers to take real-time decisions aimed at decongesting platforms. This includes the authority to restrict ticket sales based on station capacity and train availability during peak rush.
Following successful pilot projects during the 2024 festival season at Surat, Udhna, Patna, and New Delhi, and similar crowd management efforts during the Mahakumbh at nine Prayag stations, the Railways will establish permanent holding areas outside the station premises at these 73 identified stations.
Vaishnaw said that pilot holding zones have already been established at New Delhi, Anand Vihar, Varanasi, Ayodhya, and Ghaziabad stations, and these have shown promising results.
“Only confirmed ticket holders will be allowed direct platform access, while unauthorised entry points will be sealed. Also, new FOBs of 12 and 6 meters width with ramps will facilitate smooth pedestrian flow. CCTV cameras will be intensified for real-time monitoring,” said the minister.
War rooms staffed by officers from multiple departments will coordinate operations during rush hours, with walkie-talkies and modern announcement systems ensuring effective communication. For easy identification, station personnel will be given new ID cards and uniforms.
Security forces, including GRP, RPF, and local police, will be strategically deployed to prevent stampedes and maintain order. Intelligence units and plainclothes officers will monitor crowd trends to preempt critical situations.
Passengers without confirmed tickets will be held in these designated waiting zones until their train arrives. This will ensure minimum platform congestion and streamline passenger movement, said the minister.
According to reports, millions of Indians travel on more than 20,000 trains a day on a track route that is almost longer than 66,000 kilometres. Kalyan Junction (Mumbai), Howrah Junction (West Bengal), New Delhi Railway Station (Delhi), Prayagraj Junction (UP), and Patna Junction in Bihar are some of the few railway stations teeming with passengers daily.
