April train rush: Over 41 crore passengers travelled in first 21 days, says Railways

The Indian Railways had earlier stated that it made special efforts to operate a record number of additional train trips, which would be 43% more as compared to the last year’s.

New Delhi: Over 41 crore people travelled by train till April 21, the Indian Railways said, highlighting the pressure on its operations and passenger services.

“Indian Railways has carried 41.16 Crores passengers during April 1- 21. The last weekend -- April 20 and 21 -- witnessed 3.38 crores passengers taking train journeys to different destinations. This made the last week among the busiest ones with a total of 13.69 crores passengers travelling by train,” a senior railway official said.

The Indian Railways had earlier stated that it made special efforts to operate a record number of additional train trips, which would be 43 per cent more as compared to the last year’s.

“Indian Railways has taken elaborate measures to deal with the steep rise in the number of train passengers due to summer breaks by introducing special trains and improving amenities at the station. Zonal Railways have been instructed to ensure the availability of drinking water at Railway stations,” the official said.

He added, “Besides, elaborate crowd control arrangements have been made at all major and important railway stations and senior officers have been directed to be stationed at these stations to monitor all the activities and regulate the crowd in a systematic manner.”

The Railway Board has issued necessary instructions to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) to depute adequate workforce at originating stations to ensure ‘Queue system’ for entry in General Class coaches.

Senior RPF officials say that skilled RPF staff have been deployed in CCTV Control Room to keep a close watch on the crowded areas and render real-time assistance to passengers.

“Government Railway Police (GRP) and RPF staff are deployed at foot-over bridges to regulate crowds smoothly to avoid stampede-like situations during the heavy rush period,” the RPF official said.

“Additional help desks and counters are set up to help passengers with their inquiries,” he added.

Senior officials, assigned to look after passenger services, say that the Railway Board is continuously watching the situation and making arrangements as per the demand.