Railways sets up multi-level war rooms to manage passenger rush, says Union Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw; check details

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday informed that Indian Railways has set up special “war rooms” at divisional, district and board level to effectively manage heavy passenger congestion during the festive season. The minister said real-time decisions are taken through these war rooms to ensure smooth passenger movement. While 10,700 trains have been operated through IRCTC so far, around 3,000 additional trains have been kept in reserve to meet sudden increases in passenger demand. Explaining the effectiveness of the system, Vaishnaw touched on recent examples where the congestion was resolved quickly.

On October 18, Udhna railway station in Surat experienced a heavy passenger load, which was immediately eased after the deployment of additional trains from nearby stations. A similar situation in Ambala was resolved by increasing the number of trains in and around Jalandhar.

The Minister also informed that the number of destinations in Bihar has been increased to 18 this year compared to seven last year to meet the increasing travel demand ahead of the festive season.

A central command war room has also been set up at Rail Bhavan in New Delhi to oversee and coordinate the overall network. This facility allows real-time monitoring of traffic congestion, passenger complaints and events on the ground.

According to Vaishnaw, more than 80 war rooms are currently operational in the Indian Railways system, making it a robust mechanism to ensure timely response and enhanced passenger experience.

Earlier, in an official statement, Indian Railways had said that it plans to run 1,500 special trains with an average of 300 special trains per day for the next five days to cater to the increased number of passengers ahead of Chhath festivities. These special trains will also be operated in addition to the regular train services already running to these destinations. “As travel increases for the upcoming Chhath festival, Indian Railways is making extra efforts to ensure that all passengers reach their destinations safely and comfortably,” the statement said.

This year, Indian Railways has increased the number of special trains it runs during the Diwali season. According to the statement, in addition to regular trains, 4,493 special train services (an average of 213 services per day) were operated in the last 21 days, helping passengers return home safely for Diwali celebrations.