The Indian Railways conducted a trial on Saturday at New Delhi Railway Station to test crowd control measures ahead of the Maha Kumbh, restricting unreserved passengers to a single platform and scheduling special trains based on demand.
The trial, monitored by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, along with Railway Board Chairman and CEO Satish Kumar, was closely observed from the War Room at Rail Bhawan. Senior Northern Railway officials were present at the station to oversee the situation on the ground.
Vaishnaw stated that the experiment was successful in preventing overcrowding and ensuring a smoother boarding process for all passengers. “I personally monitored the entire trial from the War Room. Reserved and unreserved passengers traveling to different destinations experienced a hassle-free journey, while devotees heading to the Maha Kumbh had a safer and more comfortable travel experience from designated Platform No. 16,” he told PTI.
The Railway Ministry chose to conduct the trial on Saturday, as a stampede had occurred around the same time the previous week, resulting in 18 fatalities and several injuries. Following that tragic incident, a temporary passenger holding area was set up, and it was decided that all special trains for Prayagraj would depart from Platform 16 to regulate crowd movement.
Real-Time Crowd Management
Between 2:30 PM and 11:30 PM, railway authorities tracked unreserved ticket sales at half-hour intervals. Officials noted a fluctuating number of ticket sales, with a peak of 1,822 tickets sold between 8:30 PM and 9:00 PM.
Himanshu Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Northern Railway, explained that unreserved passengers were directed to wait in a holding area and were only permitted to enter Platform 16 through a single gate when a train was scheduled. “We scheduled trains dynamically, ensuring a train was dispatched whenever the number of unreserved passengers reached around 2,500,” he said.
Five Special Trains Deployed
To handle the weekend rush, the Railways operated five unreserved trains to Prayagraj from New Delhi Station between 2:30 PM and 11:30 PM. Officials emphasized that these measures are part of an ongoing effort to enhance safety and streamline crowd management for pilgrims traveling to the Maha Kumbh.
Sources By Agencies