Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw today reviewed the nation-wide festive season passenger movement via the Railway Board War Room, highlighting real-time coordination across station divisions and zones.
Vaishnaw said that war rooms have been set up at the Division, Zone, and Railway Board levels, with live feeds from stations across the country. Mini control rooms at major stations help monitor requirements such as additional trains and other operational needs.
He noted that through data-driven modelling of past years’ travel demand, the Railways has deployed around 10,700 reserved and 3,000 unreserved special services to manage festival-time travel pressure. Between October 22 and 24, a second peak in passenger movement is expected.
To ease passenger flow, a permanent holding area at New Delhi Railway Station has been made operational. With capacity for over 7,000 people, the facility also provides toilets for men and women, automatic ticket vending machines, ticket counters, and free water.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu visited Ambala Cantt station to inspect special festive arrangements by the Railways.
Indian Railways has announced it will run 1,205 special trains in the next four days to cope with Chhath Puja travel demand. It has also scheduled 2,220 special-train services for Bihar over the October–November period to help ease the festive rush.
Passenger numbers at Delhi’s major railway stations have surged compared to last year: on October 21, 1,69,986 unreserved outward travellers boarded—an increase of 5.6 per cent over the same day last year. On October 22, the figure rose to 1,71,753, representing a 7.0 per cent jump.
Passengers have expressed appreciation for the upgraded services, cleanliness, and overall arrangements during this festive surge. One notable incident saw a passenger in labour at New Delhi station being given immediate assistance and escorted to hospital by a staff member — a move the Railways called part of its commitment to passenger care.