Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, visited the New Delhi Railway Station today and conducted an on-ground assessment of the arrangements made by the Railways during this festive season. Interacting with the media later, he stated that 12 lakh railway employees are working day & night to ensure passengers reach their destinations safely. He added that more than 1 crore passengers have already been served by these special trains.

The Union Minister stated that, on average, around 4.25 lakh passengers are travelling daily outwards from the Delhi area. He highlighted that major stations such as at Surat, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru are under continuous monitoring, and even trains in motion are being closely tracked. He said every division and zone has its own war room, ensuring round-the-clock monitoring, carried out with the dedicated efforts of all railway employees.

The Union Minister visited the RPF Control Room via Platform No. 1, which monitors the entire station, and interacted with passengers to review on-ground arrangements. The Union Minister also visited the First Aid Room and interacted with the doctors on duty.

The Minister also interacted with passengers of Patna bound Amrit Bharat Express at platform no 16 of New Delhi Railway station. The passengers applauded & praised the arrangements made by Indian Railways for them. He also visited the Holding area (यात्री सुविधा केंद्र) for the convenience of passengers.

Chairman and CEO, Railway Board, Shri Satish Kumar,  General Manager, Northern Railway, Shri Ashok Kumar Verma and other senior officers were also present during the inspection.

The Hon’ble Union Minister also reviewed information on special trains from the Rail Bhawan War Room before visiting New Delhi Railway Station. Key instructions were issued to railway officials to ensure passenger convenience.

Indian Railways is operating 12,011 special trains during the festive season—a significant increase from 7,724 trains in 2024—to meet the sharp rise in travel demand.

In addition to regular train services, Indian Railways has successfully operated 4,211 special trains between 1st October and 20th October 2025, catering to over 1 crore passengers. To further cater to the expected surge in passenger traffic for Diwali, and Chhath, Indian Railways plans to operate around 7800 more special trains in coming days.

Between 1st and 20th October 2025, more than 1 crore passengers have already been served by these special trains. In the New Delhi area, 21.04 lakh passengers were facilitated between 16th and 20th October 2025, as compared to 19.71 lakh passengers during the corresponding period last year — an increase of 1.33 lakh passengers.

Passenger Facilities Strengthened Nationwide

Indian Railways is making extensive efforts to enhance passenger comfort and convenience. Passenger management has been streamlined across stations, with dedicated holding areas, additional ticket counters, potable water facilities, and clean washrooms provided to ensure a smooth travel experience.

Indian Railways has established a dedicated “War Room” at Rail Bhawan to monitor and manage the massive influx of festive travelers. This command center enables real-time monitoring and allows officials to quickly address congestion, passenger complaints, and potential incidents. The initiative was set up under the guidance of Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw shortly after he took charge of the Ministry, with the goal of strengthening security and monitoring across the railway network.

Shri Vaishnaw and Railway Board Chairman & CEO, Satish Kumar periodically visit the Rail Bhawan War Room to review passenger movements and provide necessary directives to officials. Today, the War Room has evolved into an effective system overseeing the entire Indian Railways network, with over 80 War Rooms active at the Railway Board, zonal, and divisional levels.

Similarly, at New Delhi Railway Station, a mini control room has been set up to closely oversee passenger arrangements, ensuring smooth operations and enhanced convenience for travelers.

At Jaipur station, passengers are being issued tickets directly in holding areas through the Special Mobile Unreserved Ticketing System (M-UTS), helping maintain station order while providing a convenient and satisfying experience for travellers.

Western Railway’s Vadodara Division is also making every effort to manage the increased passenger rush. Since 1st October, more than 30 lakh passengers have traveled to their destinations in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal through regular and 5 special trains operated by the Vadodara Division. The division is running five festival special trains, with over 70 trips already notified.

As part of passenger facilitation, 5,000 packaged drinking water bottles were distributed among passengers today at Udhna Railway Station to ensure their comfort during peak travel hours.

A recent example at Thanjavur Junction, where elderly travellers availed air-conditioned retiring rooms with clean amenities—ensuring rest and convenience even during odd hours also underscored Indian Railways’ focus on providing thoughtful, service-oriented facilities as part of its enhanced passenger experience.

Combating Misinformation and Ensuring Transparency

Indian Railways is operating in alert mode during the ongoing festive season to ensure safe, comfortable, and well-coordinated travel for passengers, while also taking proactive measures to curb misinformation being spread through social media platforms.

It has come to notice that certain social media handles are circulating old photos and videos showing overcrowding and passenger inconvenience to create unnecessary panic among travellers. Many of these visuals are being shared without reference, misleading the public into believing they are recent. Official zonal handles are actively issuing clarifications and marking such misleading content as old and false.

In the past five days, over 40 such misleading cases have been identified and flagged. FIRs are being registered against those responsible for spreading misinformation. The Government is taking prompt and firm action to ensure that passenger safety and public trust remain uncompromised.

Unprecedented Festive Operations

Passengers have also expressed satisfaction with the improved arrangements this year. Many shared their experiences, saying that this time, the arrangements were much better than before and the entire journey was smooth and comfortable.

Passengers at Prayagraj, Valsad, Visakhapatnam, and Sambalpur stations expressed satisfaction with the arrangements made by Indian Railways, appreciating the improved facilities and management — even in unreserved coaches.

Dedicated Workforce Ensuring a Smooth Journey

Indian Railways has unveiled a first-of-its-kind nursing room at Platform 2 of Mysuru Railway Station under Project Ayushman, in collaboration with Ladies Circle India. This dedicated facility provides mothers and infants a quiet, hygienic, and secure space, ensuring privacy, dignity, and comfort while traveling. Air-conditioned, well-lit, and maintained to high cleanliness standards, the nursing room addresses the needs of mothers during long layovers, late-night connections, or festival rush.

Adding to Indian Railways’ recent breakthroughs, Lucknow City Railway Station has become North India’s first fully women-staffed station, setting new benchmarks for empowerment and gender equality. From the control room to ticket counters, safety patrols to signal cabins, all operations are now managed by a 34-member all-women team. Initiated by North Eastern Railway, this landmark move showcases Nari Shakti in action, creating safer, inclusive, and inspiring spaces for travelers.

In a remarkable display of medical readiness and dedication, Dr. Jithin P S, Divisional Medical Officer at Palakkad Junction (Southern Railway), treated a 24-year-old passenger’s dislocated jaw on the platform just minutes before the Kanyakumari–Dibrugarh Vivek Express was set to depart. The emergency manual jaw reduction was performed with precision, allowing the passenger to recover immediately and continue his journey without delay. The swift intervention was widely applauded on social media, highlighting Indian Railways’ round-the-clock medical readiness, trained professionals on-site, and emergency care infrastructure at major stations.

Indian Railways reiterates its commitment to passenger safety, transparency, and service excellence, while urging the public to rely only on official channels and verified information for travel-related updates.

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Dharmendra Tewari/ Dr. Nayan Solanki/ Manik Sharma