E-Paper
Permanent holding area, no platform tickets: Northern Railway prepares for Diwali rush in Delhi
Northern Railway has started putting in place crowd control measures to manage the festive rush and prevent overcrowding on platforms at the stations in Delhi.
Prefer HTon Google
Since passengers rush for the upcoming Diwali, Bhai Dooj, and Chhath festivals has begun, with tens of thousands of people expected to throng Delhi’s key railway station daily to board trains for their hometowns, the Northern Railway has started putting in place crowd control measures to manage the festive rush and prevent overcrowding on platforms, according to two senior railway officers.
This includes a permanent holding area at the New Delhi station and a stoppage on the sale of platform tickets in the national capital, among other measures.
The measures
One of the steps taken by the Northern Railway to regulate passenger flow and prevent any untoward incidents, including a stampede, is the creation of a permanent passenger holding area outside platform number 16 at New Delhi railway station, towards the Ajmeri Gate side, one of the officers said.
“Unlike previous years, when we used to set up temporary tents and used them for regulating the movement of passengers, a permanent holding area for passengers has been created outside platform number 16 of the New Delhi railway station. This permanent passenger holding area is in addition to the 6000-square-metre ‘Yatri Suvidha Kendra’ that was inaugurated on October 11 last year and is located along the New Delhi railway station,” a senior Northern Railway official, who is aware of the new development, said.
According to the officer, the permanent passenger holding area is being equipped with baggage scanners, and sufficient Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel are being deployed to facilitate the smooth movement of passengers towards the platforms and avoid overcrowding.
“The facility has been set up in such a way that passengers arriving at the New Delhi railway station from Ajmeri Gate side will find themselves immediately and directly under the roof of the new holding area,” the officer added.
According to the officials, the railway authorities are also operating festival special trains to clear the additional rush and facilitate passengers. The number of such special trains will be increased this week, the officials added.
Restrictions
As part of their festival rush crowd control measure, the railway authorities have also temporarily stopped the sale of platform tickets at railway stations in the national capital that witness massive turn-up of passengers travelling to states such as Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha to celebrate Diwali, Chhath and Bhai Dooj.
Imposing temporary restrictions on parcel traffic at such stations and running additional trains as “festival specials” are other measures that the railway authorities have taken.
The measures are being implemented in the wake of last year’s stampede that killed 18 people—including four children and 11 women—at the New Delhi railway station on February 15. The stampede occurred during the evening rush, around 9:15-9:30pm, on the staircase connecting platforms 14 and 15, as thousands converged on the station for Bihar-bound trains amid the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj at the time.
According to the Northern Railway’s chief public relations officer (CPRO) Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, sale of platform tickets has been stopped from November 3 (Tuesday) to November 14 at New Delhi, Old Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Ghaziabad, Anand Vihar Terminal railway stations and Anand Vihar Halt.
“Suitable exemptions shall, however, be extended to persons accompanying elderly, sick, specially abled, illiterate and Lady passengers who require assistance,” said Upadhyay.
In view of the anticipated additional rush of passengers due to festivals, restrictions have been made on departmental booking from November 3 to November 15, while restrictions on loading and unloading of all kinds of parcels will be in place from November 5 to November 15 at the New Delhi, Old Delhi and Anand Vihar Terminal railway stations.
However, all loading and unloading done from Anand Vihar Terminal’s washing line and stabling line will continue throughout the restriction period.
“At Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, restrictions on departmental booking and on loading and unloading of parcels will be from November 5 to November 15, except for all loading and unloading done from the station’s VP siding. Passengers will be permitted to carry their personal luggage only in passenger coaches. Booking of registered newspapers and magazines will be allowed, subject to due consideration of public safety,” CPRO added.
