Smooth Functioning of Special Trains during Festive Season

Indian Railways, subject to operational feasibility, traffic justification etc, operates Special trains to cater extra rush of passengers during festive season, vacations, for destinations of tourist/pilgrim importance to facilitate passengers.  Operation of Special train is an ongoing process of Indian Railways.  Accordingly, during 2022-2023(upto November, 2022), 16766 Special train trips have been operated by Indian Railways. Indian Railways, to provide additional accommodation, also augments the loads of trains on temporary basis. The following steps are taken by Railway Protection Force (RPF) in coordination with other stakeholders to ensure safe and secure journey of passengers during festive seasons:-

1. Elaborate crowd control arrangements are made at all major and important railway stations, where the huge crowds are predicted to reach for travelling to various destinations for celebrating festivals. Senior officers are stationed at these stations to monitor all the activities to regulate the crowd in a systematic manner.
2. Videography and photography of important trains especially in GS coaches, as a preventive security measure.
3. Skilled RPF staff is deployed in CCTV Control Room to keep a close watch on the crowded areas and render real time assistance to passengers.
4. Government Railway Police (GRP) & Railway Protection Force (RPF) staff are deployed at foot-over bridges to regulate crowd smoothly in order to avoid stampede like situation during the heavy rush period.
5. Coordination with GRP/State Police is maintained with request to augment deployment of staff at important and sensitive railway stations, for adopting extra precautionary measures to control crowd and for keeping sharp vigil on suspicious activities/persons/items.
6. Proper frisking of passengers entering the station is ensured. Security personnel are trained in Soft Skills to interact with passengers specially with lady passengers and children.
7. Special Task force are formed for taking action against anti-social elements in trains and railway premises.
8. Proper announcement regarding trains/ coaches is ensured well in time so that passengers are made aware of the location of General Coaches and the platform from where the trains will depart.
9. Mixed escort are deployed in important trains for rendering real time assistance especially to lady passengers travelling in long distance trains.
10. Queue system for entering into general coaches are adopted at the originating stations.

No consequential train accident involving passenger train, leading to casualties and injuries at stations and trains has occurred during the current year 2022-23 (i.e from 01.04.2022 to 30.11.2022) during festival season.  Besides, no casualties has been been reported in the year 2022 (upto November) during the festival seasons due to overcrowding in trains and at stations.

On Indian Railways, the pattern of booking of reserved tickets is not uniform throughout the year and it varies during peak and lean periods.  During peak rush periods, the reserved accommodation especially in upper class and on popular routes gets exhausted within short duration after opening or reservation whereas in lower classes and on less popular routes, the confirmed accommodation remains available for comparatively longer duration.  Waiting list of trains is monitored on regular basis and to cater to additional rush during peak periods special trains are run and load of existing trains are augmented subject to operational feasibility, resource availability etc.

This information was given by the Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronic & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

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YB/DNS