E-Paper
Around 13,000 trains to run during Kumbh, says Vaishnaw
“An investment of ₹5,000 crore has been made over the past three years for Kumbh-related projects,” the statement read.
Union minister of railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday inaugurated various initiatives to enhance rail connectivity for visitors to attend the Maha Kumbh 2025 in the Prayagraj region, a statement from the Indian Railways (IR) said.
Around 10,000 regular trains and 3,134 special trains will operate during the Kumbh period, the statement said, adding that this number was 4.5 times more than the previous Kumbh.
These regular trains include 1,869 short-distance trains, 706 long-distance trains and 559 ring trains. Freight trains have been diverted to dedicated freight corridors (DFC) to ensure smooth passenger train operations.
Around 40 crore pilgrims are expected to visit during Maha Kumbh 2025.
“An investment of ₹5,000 crore has been made over the past three years for Kumbh-related projects,” the statement read.
The minister also launched a Maha Kumbh ‘war room’ which will operate 24x7, with officials from the departments of operations, commerce, mechanics, engineering and electrical monitoring and coordinating activities. Railway Protection Force (RPF) officials will also be a part of the team.
A statement from the Indian Railways said that 1,176 CCTV cameras were installed at nine stations in the Prayagraj region that will help in feeds for real-time monitoring.
“The monitoring structure will include not only at station, divisional and district level but also at zonal and railway board level,” an official requesting anonymity said. “It will facilitate effective coordination between district authorities and railway officials, ensuring immediate assistance and operational efficiency,” he added.
IR said that passenger facilities have been expanded and 48 platforms and 21 foot over bridges, 23 permanent holding areas with a combined capacity of over 1 lakh pilgrims have been made.
“Announcements for passenger guidance will be made in more than 12 languages at all mine key stations. 554 ticketing counters including 151 mobile UTS counters have been set up. 21 road under and road over bridges have been made to enhance road and rail mobility,” their statement read.
