New Delhi station overcrowding: Railways plans 'standby’ trains to ease passenger rush

New Delhi Railway Station.

A day after several train departures were delayed at New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS), leading to heavy passenger rush on two platforms, railway officials informed on Monday that they are considering keeping a special train on standby to help manage potential overcrowding.

According to the railway officials, the special ‘standby’ train will only have general coaches, and will be kept ready at the stabling yard and brought into service whenever required, Hindustan Times reported.

“Our observations reveal that overcrowding is frequent for all Bihar-bound trains departing in the evening. Starting a special train would help by catering to unreserved passengers, especially those bound for Bihar,” a railway official said.

The official stated that the special train will drop passengers at key destinations like Patna and Hajipur in Bihar, helping to ease congestion on NDLS platforms. Officials also mentioned that Indian Railways is holding internal discussions on other potential measures, including printing the train names and numbers on platform tickets, which would necessitate updates to the passenger reservation system (PRS) software.

The departure of at least four trains from platforms 12 and 13 was delayed on Sunday evening, leading to overcrowding and a stampede-like situation. However, the officials confirmed that no stampede occurred and no injuries were reported.

“Following the February 15 stampede, railways implemented a rule to avoid confusion by not announcing platform changes for trains. However, on Sunday, delays in the departure of two trains caused a cluster of trains arriving at the same time,” an official informed.

Notably, alleged mismanagement in the announcements of Prayagraj-bound trains caused significant confusion among passengers, leading to a stampede on February 15, during the Maha Kumbh. Total 18 people were killed in the incident.