New Delhi, 07 November (H.S.): Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said the Railways had operated around 18,000 additional special trains to accommodate the surge in passenger traffic during the festive season, including Diwali and Chhath Puja. In addition, approximately 700 artificial intelligence (AI)-powered cameras have been installed at railway stations across the country to monitor passenger movement and manage crowds. Holding areas have also been established at around 20 major stations to facilitate passengers during the festive rush.

Speaking to reporters after reviewing preparations and operational arrangements at the Railways' war room in Rail Bhawan, Vaishnaw said passenger traffic increases considerably during Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath, presenting a major operational challenge for the railway network.

He said preparations to manage the festive rush had begun nearly six months ago. While approximately 12,000 special trains were operated during last year's festive season, the number had been increased to around 18,000 this year. Several of these special services have also been converted into regular trains.

The minister further stated that the Railways had operated approximately 75,000 special trains during the previous financial year, while the number was expected to exceed 80,000 in the current financial year. He emphasised that the primary objective was to ensure that passengers could reach their hometowns comfortably during the festive period while maintaining orderly crowd management.

Vaishnaw said dedicated holding areas had been developed at around 20 railway stations to allow passengers to wait comfortably before their trains departed. Ticket counters had also been relocated to these designated areas so that passengers would not need to enter the main station premises to purchase tickets.

Additionally, multiple baggage-scanning counters had been installed to facilitate security checks and prevent long queues during the screening process.

The minister explained that the railway war room operates round the clock, with officials and personnel from the Railway Protection Force (RPF), as well as the operations, mechanical and electrical departments, remaining deployed there.

Live heat maps are used to monitor passenger density at different railway stations. The system uses green to indicate normal crowd levels, yellow to signal increasing congestion and red to identify areas experiencing heavy crowding. Apart from the Railway Minister, the Chairman of the Railway Board and senior ministry officials also regularly monitor operational arrangements from the war room.

Vaishnaw said passenger footfall at New Delhi Railway Station was particularly high on Dhanteras, while the situation remained relatively normal on Chhoti Diwali. He anticipated another significant surge in passenger numbers approximately three days before Chhath Puja and said the Railways had made comprehensive arrangements to handle the rush.

As part of its contingency planning, special trains have been stationed in advance at various locations around Shakurbasti, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Anand Vihar and New Delhi railway stations to accommodate any sudden increase in passenger demand.

According to the minister, the New Delhi railway area normally handles approximately five lakh passengers daily, with the figure rising to nearly eight lakh during the festive season. Between October 1 and November 5, approximately two crore passengers travelled through this area.

He said the Railways was continuously upgrading its operational arrangements through data-driven planning. Passenger movement patterns over the past 10 years have been scientifically analysed to identify the most frequently travelled routes and destinations. These findings have been used to plan crowd-management measures and deploy additional special trains according to anticipated demand.

Vaishnaw also highlighted the positive response to the Golden Area initiative, introduced at New Delhi Railway Station last year, saying it had helped improve passenger management and convenience.

Responding to questions about old videos being circulated on social media, the minister appealed to the Opposition not to create confusion among the public by sharing outdated footage. He claimed that some Opposition leaders had posted approximately 78 old videos the previous day.

Instead of circulating such footage, he urged political parties to offer constructive suggestions for improving railway services. He added that citizens were welcome to share their feedback and that the Railways was open to considering suggestions for further improvements.

The minister also said that various social organisations had been brought on board to assist passengers during the festive rush. These organisations are helping provide essential facilities, including drinking water and other amenities. In addition, preparations for maintaining trains and ensuring their availability in good condition during the peak travel period had begun nearly six months in advance.

Addressing concerns over train delays and increasing pressure on the railway network, Vaishnaw said the system was currently handling substantial passenger traffic alongside the transportation of coal and other freight commodities. He stressed that expanding the capacity of the railway network was the only sustainable solution to these challenges.

He said approximately 36,000 kilometres of additional railway tracks had been laid over the past decade. Work on constructing new railway lines and augmenting the capacity of existing routes was continuing at a steady pace.

Vaishnaw further revealed that track quadrupling projects were underway across seven important railway corridors, including major routes connecting Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai. These also include key diagonal routes such as Delhi-Chennai, Mumbai-Kolkata and Delhi-Guwahati.

Once completed, these infrastructure projects are expected to enable the Railways to operate more than 1,000 additional regular trains. This would help ease the pressure of waiting lists and improve the availability of confirmed reservations for passengers.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar