Over 3,700 special trains deployed across north India to manage festive rush

In a massive operation to manage the festive season rush, Indian Railways has deployed more than 3,700 special trains across the northern region, including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Chandigarh.

Between October 1 and November 30, over 12,000 special trains are being operated nationwide, with 2,220 of them catering to Bihar alone.

According to the Ministry of Railways, Uttar Pradesh tops the list in the northern zone with 1,170 special trains, followed by Delhi with 1,098, Rajasthan with 961, Haryana with 344, Punjab with 59, Jammu & Kashmir with 99, and Chandigarh with 30.

Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday also reviewed passenger movement at the Railway Board’s War Room in New Delhi, which monitors real-time train operations and crowd management through live feeds from divisions and zones across the country. He said dedicated war rooms and mini control units have been set up at major stations to coordinate operations and manage passenger flow effectively.

Vaishnaw said around 10,700 reserved and 3,000 unreserved trains are currently operating nationwide to handle the festive surge. “The exact number of special trains required is determined through data analysis of the past two years. This data is fed into a model to assess the demand for each destination,” he said.

He noted that the first passenger surge was recorded between October 17 and 20, with the highest footfall on October 18 and 19, while a second peak is expected between October 22 and 24.

The minister also inspected the permanent holding area recently built at New Delhi Station, which can now accommodate over 7,000 passengers. The facility is equipped with 150 toilets each for men and women, automatic ticket vending machines, ticket counters, and free RO drinking water facilities, easing congestion and improving passenger comfort.

Highlighting the scale of travel from the national capital, the Railways said that on October 21, as many as 1,69,986 unreserved passengers departed from six major stations — New Delhi, Delhi Junction, Anand Vihar Terminal, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Shakurbasti, and Ghaziabad, marking a 5.62 per cent increase compared to the same day post-Diwali last year. The following day, the number rose to 1,71,753 passengers, reflecting a 7.01 per cent year-on-year growth.

Vaishnaw said that the holding and waiting areas at major stations have ensured systematic entry of passengers and minimised overcrowding, adding that infrastructure upgrades across northern stations have made festive travel significantly smoother this year.