Platform panic: When poor planning costs lives

THE February 15 stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station, which claimed 18 lives and left many others injured, reinforces a crucial lesson: the key to preventing such disasters is effective crowd control. On festival days, a surge in passengers is inevitable, but if unmanaged, it can lead to dangerous overcrowding, creating conditions for panic and stampedes. Such incidents are unpredictable, yet preventable with proper planning.

Unfortunately, over the past 20 years, major stampedes have taken place at railway stations across the country — Lucknow in 2002, New Delhi in 2004, Allahabad in 2013 and Mumbai Elphinstone Station in 2017. They expose systemic failures in railway management. Each of these disasters followed a similar pattern: overwhelming crowds, poor communication and inadequate infrastructure. Despite repeated warnings, the Indian Railways has failed to implement lasting solutions.

Investigations typically focus on immediate causes, such as sudden platform changes and mismanaged announcements. They don't address the deeper structural flaws that make such tragedies inevitable.

A high-level inquiry has been launched into the February 15 stampede, with early reports suggesting that a last-minute platform change announcement triggered the chaos. But the real failure lies in the lack of proactive crowd management.

The Railways transports over 24 million passengers daily, with major stations like New Delhi handling 5,00,000 footfalls on an average day and up to 7,00,000 during festivals. The Railways has successfully managed even larger crowds during the Kumbh Mela, proving that it has the expertise. The disaster was not due to a lack of knowledge but a failure to implement well-established crowd control measures.

The Railways has clear standard operating procedures (SOPs) for managing festival rushes and peak-hour traffic. These include redirecting passengers to satellite stations, creating designated holding areas for different destinations and regulating platform access so that people enter only when trains are ready for boarding. Additional train rakes should be kept on standby to accommodate surges in passenger numbers. These measures have been used successfully before, so their absence on February 15 raises questions about planning and accountability.

One of the biggest contributors to platform congestion is the unregulated sale of general tickets for unreserved coaches. Unlike reserved ticket holders, general ticket passengers often gather in large numbers, leading to dangerous boarding conditions. The sale of general tickets, often exceeding the capacity of unreserved coaches, results in massive, unmanaged crowds. The Railways must rethink how these tickets are issued. Possible solutions include limiting sales per train, introducing pre-booked tokens or creating designated waiting areas for unreserved passengers. Otherwise, the risk of stampedes will persist.

A key issue is that major railway stations were not designed to handle todays' passenger volumes. While adding footbridges and expanding platforms can help, these are short-term fixes. The sheer scale of passenger movement now requires a new approach.

One potential solution is to develop and expand smaller, nearby stations, such as Subzi Mandi in Delhi, to distribute passenger load. Separating arrivals and departures by constructing multi-level concourses on the pattern of airports is another solution. The Railways continues to rely on outdated layouts, where arriving and departing crowds mix chaotically, increasing the stampede risk.

A growing problem is that station redevelopment projects often prioritise revenue generation through commercialisation of land over reducing footfalls. Even the New Delhi redevelopment plan focusses on transforming the stations into commercial hubs and adding shopping malls, restaurants and office spaces around station premises.

While this generates revenue, it also significantly increases foot traffic, further straining the already congested infrastructure. The roads leading to the New Delhi Railway Station are already overcrowded. Adding more commercial and residential spaces, as envisaged in the redevelopment plan, will worsen the problem. The plan of modernisation should focus on improving passenger movement, safety and access.

Modern technology must play a bigger role in railway crowd management. Artificial intelligence (AI) and real-time data analytics can help predict passenger surges, allowing the authorities to take preventive action before congestion becomes dangerous. AI-powered crowd monitoring systems can track movement patterns and alert the staff when areas become overcrowded, enabling timely interventions.

Better coordination between railway authorities and city planners is also essential. Railway stations should not be seen as isolated transit points but as integral parts of the urban infrastructure. This requires a comprehensive strategy that accounts for station location, road access and integration with other public transport systems.

For instance, better metro connectivity, dedicated shuttle buses and improved pedestrian pathways could significantly reduce congestion around major stations like New Delhi. Without such coordination, even well-planned station upgrades may fail to deliver real improvements.

The February 15 tragedy should serve as a wake-up call for the Railways, policymakers and urban planners. The growing volume of train passengers is a challenge. It is a long-term reality that demands systemic change. As India's population continues to grow and urbanisation accelerates, railway infrastructure must evolve accordingly. Investing in new stations, expanding existing ones and integrating modern technology are not optional measures; they are essential.

It is time to move beyond outdated methods of crowd management and embrace a more forward-thinking approach. Relying on manual interventions, temporary fixes or last-minute crowd control measures will only lead to more tragedies. The system needs a complete overhaul — one that integrates infrastructure upgrades, technological innovations, urban planning coordination and a cultural shift in station management.

Preventing another stampede requires more than just reactive inquiries and surface-level improvements. It calls for a fundamental change in how railway stations are designed, operated and integrated into India's urban fabric.

If the Indian Railways truly wishes to prevent future disasters, it must acknowledge past failures, commit to meaningful reforms and ensure that passenger safety is the top priority. Otherwise, the question is not if another tragedy will occur, but when.