FEB 21, 2025: Indian Railways has implemented several strict measures following the unfortunate stampede incident at New Delhi Railway Station last Saturday. Special holding areas and additional RPF deployment have been arranged to enhance passenger safety at key stations, including Ayodhya, Varanasi, Ghaziabad, New Delhi, and Anand Vihar. A holding area has been developed at Ghaziabad Station. Other safety Measures have also been implemented to prevent anyone from crossing the ropes (safety area) while a train is arriving at the platform. For this, the deployment of RPF personnel along with ropes on the platforms has been arranged. This will ensure that passengers do not approach the train before it comes to a complete stop.
Indian Railways is geared up to handle a surge in passenger traffic during the final week of the MahaKumbh Mela by establishing holding areas at various stations in Northern Railway, North Central Railway, North Eastern Railway and East Central Railway. These Holding areas are located outside the platforms to help control the flow of passengers and prevent overcrowding. Passengers are allowed to enter the platforms based on the scheduled departure times of their trains. This initiative aims to improve crowd management and enhance passenger safety, especially during peak hours and festive seasons.
Northern Railway has created massive holding areas at Ghaziabad measuring 4200 sq ft, Anand Vihar 3800 sq ft, New Delhi 12710 sq ft, Ayodhya Dham 3024 sq m. and Banaras 1280 sq m and 875 sq m.
North Eastern Railway has also created holding areas at Banaras measuring 2200 sq ft., Siwan 5250 sq ft, Ballia 8000 sq ft, Deoria 3600 sq ft, Chhapra 10000 sq ft, Gorakhpur: 2500 sq ft.
East Central Railway has created two holding areas at Rajendra Nagar Terminal: 2700 sq ft & 800 sq ft, Patna Jn 2700 sq ft & 2700 sq ft, Danapur 2700 sq ft & 2400 sq ft. Also, Holding areas are created at stations like Ara 3375 sq ft, Buxar: 900 sq ft, Muzaffarpur: 2400 sq ft., Hajipur: 2400 sq ft, Barauni: 2400 sq ft, Samastipur 2400 sq ft, Jaynagar: 2000 sq ft, Madhubani: 2000 sq ft, Raxaul: 2000 sq ft, Sakri: 2000 sq ft, Darbhanga: 2400 sq ft, Saharsa: 2400 sq ft, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Jn: 2400 sq ft, Sasaram: 2000 sq ft,Gaya: 2000 sq ft
North Central Railway has also created holding areas at Prayagraj Jn: 10,737 sq m, Naini: 10,637 sq m, Prayagraj Chheoki: 7500 sq m.
As a part of Kumbh area, Northern Railway and North Eastern Railway have also created Permanent/Temporary Holding areas at Prayag Jn: 10,000 sq m, Phaphamau Jn: 8775 sq m, Jhusi: 18,000 sq m and Prayagraj Rambagh: 4000 sq m.
Such holding areas and crowd management measures are already in place in Prayagraj area Railway stations. These measures are meant to give passengers with greater convenience while boarding their trains, similar to the facilities provided during peak travel seasons such as Chhath and Diwali. Indian Railways urges passengers to cooperate and adhere to official guidelines to ensure smooth and safe travel operations. For further updates, passengers are advised to stay informed through the official channel.