Railways gears up for crowd control in Kumbh's last week

The railways has established holding areas in various stations as part of its preparation in anticipation of a surge in Maha Kumbh pilgrims during the final week of the religious congregation in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, the ministry said on Thursday.

This comes days after a stampede at the New Delhi railway station claimed 18 lives. According to authorities, confusion over almost identical train names after an announcement of platform number for an arriving Prayagraj-bound special train sparked panic and a sudden rush leading to the tragedy.

In a statement on Thursday, the railway ministry urged passengers to cooperate and adhere to official guidelines to ensure smooth and safe travel operations.

It said the railways has established holding areas at various stations in Northern Railway, North Central Railway, North Eastern Railway and East Central Railway. These holding areas are located outside the platforms to help control the flow of passengers and prevent overcrowding, it said.

"Passengers are allowed to enter the platforms based on the scheduled departure times of their trains. This initiative aims to improve crowd management and enhance passenger safety, especially during peak hours and festive seasons," the ministry said.

It said the Northern Railway has created massive holding areas in Ghaziabad, Anand Vihar, New Delhi, Ayodhya Dham and Banaras. The North Eastern Railway has also created holding areas at Banaras, Siwan, Ballia, Deoria, Chhapra and Gorakhpur.

Similar initiatives were taken by East Central Railway and North Central Railway, the ministry said.

Ministry officials are of the view that such holding areas and crowd management measures are already in place in railway stations in Prayagraj to ensure greater convenience of passengers while boarding trains.