Railways operated more than 17,000 trains operated during Maha Kumbh: Ashwini Vaishnaw

New Delhi: With Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj concluding on Wednesday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that the railways operated a total of 17,152 trains surpassing the originally planned 13,000 trains.

"This included 7,667 special trains and 9,485 regular trains, ensuring that pilgrims reached their destinations smoothly and efficiently. The total number of pilgrims attending Maha Kumbh stood at 66 crore, with 4.24 crore passengers handled at the nine key railway stations of Prayagraj alone," the minister said.

The Maha Kumbh that began on January 13 in Prayagraj concluded on February 26.

Vaishnaw on Thursday visited Prayagraj to review Indian Railways' extensive preparations for Maha Kumbh and lauded the seamless coordination between different departments. He reaffirmed the Railways' commitment to facilitating safe, efficient and comfortable travel for all pilgrims.

"During his visit, the Railway Minister personally met and extended his appreciation towards every individual of the Railway workforce who played a role in managing an event of this magnitude," a statement from the Ministry said.

Vaishnaw also extended his gratitude to Travelling Ticket Examiners (TTEs), drivers, assistant drivers, signal and telecom personnel, Traction Department (TRD) and electrical teams, assistant station masters (ASMs), control officials, trackmen and railway administrators whose coordinated efforts ensured the smooth execution of this massive undertaking.

"To accommodate the vast number of pilgrims, the Indian Railways implemented extensive infrastructural and operational enhancements across nine key stations in Prayagraj, adding second entry points, 48 platforms and 21 Foot Over Bridges (FoBs) to streamline movement," it said.

To strengthen the surveillance mechanism, the ministry stated that 1,186 CCTV cameras, including facial recognition technology, and drone monitoring for crowd control were put in place.

"To manage peak-hour congestion, 23 permanent holding areas were established, while multilingual announcements and leaflets in 23 languages improved passenger communication. Ticketing facilities were expanded with 554 counters, including 151 mobile UTS (Unreserved Ticketing System) counters and a QR (Quick Response)-based system. Additionally, 21 Road Over Bridges and Under Bridges (ROBs/RUBs) were constructed to ensure seamless connectivity," the ministry said.