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Creating holding area at 60 stations experiencing high footfalls, a separate crowd management manual and raising awareness among passengers to not sit at stairs are among the measures being taken to prevent untoward incidents, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday. These initiatives are being taken in the wake of a stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station Saturday evening which killed 18 passengers, according to official figures, and left several injured. Interacting with mediapersons at the Rail Bhawan here, Vashnaw said the Railways has identified 60 stations which normally receive a high footfall and decided to make permanent or temporary holding areas outside the platforms to regulate the flow of passengers to the stations. "Sixty stations such as New Delhi, Patna, Surat, Bengaluru, Coimbatore have been identified for creating a holding area to manage the flow of passengers inside the station. They will be allowed to enter the platform according to departure of their
A stampede-like situation broke out at the New Delhi railway station late on Saturday evening, triggering a chaos on platform number 14 and 15, a Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official said. Sources said three women were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. The incident occurred around 9:55 pm, prompting an emergency response. Authorities immediately dispatched rescue teams and four fire tenders were rushed to the site to assist in the relief efforts, DFS chief Atul Garg said. The exact cause of the stampede remains unclear, but initial reports suggest overcrowding due to train services for the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj.
The Railway Ministry has released an application called SuperApp, a one-stop solution offering multiple public-facing services, on Google Play Store for testing on Friday, an official said. "Only 1,000 users can download it. We will assess the response and feedback. After that, it will be made available for 10,000 downloads for further suggestions and comments," a Board official said. He added that the app provides easy access to services like reserved and unreserved ticket bookings, platform and parcel bookings, train inquiries, PNR inquiries, help through RailMadad and more. "The core emphasis of the app is to enhance user experience through a seamless and clean user interface. It not only combines all services in one place but also integrates several services to provide users with a complete package of Indian Railway services," Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information and Publicity at the Railway Board, said. He added, "The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), on
The Ministry of Railways has made significant strides in improving the travel experience for government employees by expanding the number of trains available under Leave Travel Concession (LTC).According to a press release, government employees can travel on 385 premium trains, including 136 Vande Bharat, 97 Humsafar, and 8 Tejas Express trains, alongside 144 existing high-end trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi, and Duronto.The press release stated that government employees were already availing luxurious AC travel in 144 existing high-end trains in the category of Rajdhani, Shatabdi & Duronto series. With this decision, there will be a total 385 trains across all the regions of the country where they are operating in which tickets can be booked for LTC travel by the government employees.This expansion, announced by the Department of Personnel & Training, is aimed at providing all central government employees access to world-class travel options. Under the new guidelines, ...
The Ministry of Railways on Wednesday dismissed as "baseless" claims that passengers would be allowed to travel free of cost during the Maha Kumbh Mela, and said no such provision exists. "It has come to the attention of Indian Railways that certain media outlets are circulating reports claiming that passengers will be allowed to travel free of cost during the Maha Kumbh Mela," it said in a statement. "Indian Railways categorically denies these reports, as they are entirely baseless and misleading," the statement said. "Travelling without a valid ticket is strictly prohibited under the rules and regulations of Indian Railways and constitutes a punishable offense. There are no provisions for free travel during Maha Kumbh Mela or any other occasion," the ministry added. It added that the Indian Railways was committed to ensuring seamless travel for passengers during the Maha Kumbh. "Adequate arrangements are being made, including the establishment of special holding areas, additiona
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed a bill to amend Railway laws with the government insisting that it will not lead to the national carrier's privatisation. Responding to a debate on the Railway Amendment bill, Railway Minister Ashiwni Vaishnaw said in the Lower House that a fake narrative was set afloat that the amendment would privatise railways. "Their (opposition) fake narrative on Constitution has failed... now this will also fall flat," he asserted. The Bill was passed by a voice vote after debate which could not be held earlier due to frequent disruptions of House proceedings during the last week. "A few members have said the Bill will lead to privatisation of railways, an attempt has been made to set a fake narrative. I want to appeal to them with all sincerity not to do this, their one fake narrative about the Constitution has already failed," Vaishnaw said. The Railways (Amendment) Bill 2024 which seeks to enhance the functioning and independence of the Railway Board was
The first prototype of the Vande Bharat sleeper trainset has been manufactured and will undergo field trials soon, the government informed Parliament on Friday. In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw added that the timeline for the rollout of the train is subject to a successful completion of the trials. According to the minister, the Vande Bharat sleeper trains, planned for long and medium-distance journeys, are equipped with modern features and passenger amenities. Vaishnaw highlighted some of the distinguished features and amenities of these trains, such as the automatic train protection system Kavach, latest fire-safety standards compliance, crashworthy and jerk-free semi-permanent couplers and anti-climbers, a regenerative braking system for energy efficiency, higher average speed with quick deceleration and acceleration, among others. Talking about medium-distance Vande Bharat train services, Vaishnaw said as on December 2, 136
India will continue to grow at 6-8 per cent for the next five years due to the transformative changes ushered in by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the face of global turmoil and geopolitical tensions, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday. Addressing the NDTV Indian Of The Year Awards function, Vaishnaw said India's growth story was based on four pillars of massive public investments, focus on manufacturing and innovation, inclusive growth and simplification of laws. Vaishnaw said the world saw India as a ray of hope in times of global turmoil, two wars, disruption of supply chains and the hit taken by the world economy due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The minister credited Modi's "considered thought process" and "clearly laid out plans" for India's sustained economic growth. "We can say with a very high degree of confidence that India will continue to grow at 6-8 per cent real growth, 10-14 per cent nominal growth and a very moderate inflation for the