New Delhi, May 21(HS): In the wake of recent incidents targeting the railway network, the Ministry of Railways has appealed to passengers to remain vigilant and alert during their journeys. The Railways has urged travellers to immediately report any suspicious activity or suspicious individuals at railway stations or inside trains through the railway helpline number 139, so that prompt action can be taken against anti-social elements.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw chaired a high-level review meeting on railway security at Rail Bhavan on Thursday. The meeting was attended by Ministers of State for Railways V. Somanna and Ravneet Singh Bittu, Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar, along with senior officials and field officers from across the country.

During the meeting, officials informed that the Railways is making extensive use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), drones, CCTV surveillance, and other advanced technologies to strengthen the security of trains, passengers, station premises, and the vast railway network. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) is also conducting a mission-mode campaign by further strengthening its intelligence-gathering mechanism.

The review meeting noted that preliminary investigations into several recent incidents, including certain fire-related cases, had indicated the involvement of anti-social elements. Taking these incidents seriously, the Railways stated that the RPF is actively investigating the matter. In several cases, timely and proactive intervention by railway authorities helped avert major incidents.

The meeting also stressed the need to further strengthen field-level intelligence collection systems, improve reporting mechanisms, and expand technology-driven security infrastructure. Discussions were held on increasing CCTV coverage across the railway network, enhancing cyber security, installing high-quality surveillance cameras, and developing AI-based monitoring systems.

The Ministry stated that security management would be made more effective through improved coordination and information-sharing among the Railway Board, various railway zones, the RPF, and the Government Railway Police (GRP).

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar