22 trains damaged due to overcrowding during Maha Kumbh: Govt
Terming the February 15 stampede at New Delhi Railway Station as “unfortunate,” Vaishnaw said that a high-level inquiry has been ordered into the incident
New Delhi: At least 22 trains were reportedly damaged due to overcrowding during the Maha Kumbh 2025, railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Parliament on Wednesday.
Terming the February 15 stampede at New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS) as “unfortunate,” Vaishnaw said that a high-level inquiry has been ordered into the incident, which killed 18 people and injured 15 others.
Responding to Trinamool Congress (TMC) lawmaker Mala Roy’s query on the sale of general tickets on the day of the incident, Vaishnaw said in a written response, “On February 15, approximately 49,000 general tickets were issued from New Delhi Railway Station, which was 13,000 more than the daily average number of tickets sold during the previous six months. To cater to this extra demand, five special trains were operated.”
Vaishnaw clarified the compensation provided to the families of the deceased and injured in the incident. “Railways pays compensation for the death or injury of railway passengers in train accidents and untoward incidents as defined under the Railways Act, 1989. The amount is decided by the Railway Claims Tribunal (RCT) based on a claim application filed by the victims or their dependents before the RCT. The tribunal disposes of the cases after following due judicial process,” he said.
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“An ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh has been paid to the next of kin of each deceased, ₹2.50 lakh to each of the grievously injured, and ₹1 lakh to each of the mildly injured. A total amount of ₹2.01 crore has been paid to 33 victims or their family members,” he added.
According to data on Maha Kumbh 2025, the railway department operated 13,667 trains from January 13 to facilitate the transportation of around 12 to 15 crore pilgrims. During the mega religious fair, videos surfaced on social media showing pilgrims at railway stations in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh pelting stones and vandalising trains headed towards Prayagraj.
Vaishnaw further said that each special train carried around 3,000 passengers, and five trains were sufficient for 15,000 extra passengers.
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Unreserved tickets can be procured not only through unreserved ticketing counters at railway stations but also using the Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) Mobile App, automatic ticket vending machines (ATVMs), Jan Sadharan Ticket Booking Sevaks (JTBS), and Yatri Ticket Suvidha Kendras (YTSK), Vaishnaw said.
He added that unreserved tickets for distances up to 199 km can be purchased on the same day, while the advance period for unreserved tickets for distances of 200 kilometers and above is three days.
Replying to Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) lawmaker Kanimozhi Karunanidhi regarding overcrowding in trains, Vaishnaw said, “From a railway station, unreserved tickets can be issued for journeys originating from any of the cluster stations defined in the system. For example, from New Delhi Railway Station, unreserved tickets can be issued for journeys originating from any of the 57 stations in the Delhi area. As such, unreserved tickets issued from a particular station on a specific date may or may not be for that station and date.”
