New Delhi, Oct 30 (IANS) Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw has approved a plan for developing 76 new passenger holding areas at various railway stations across the country ahead of the 2026 festival season.

The decision was taken following the success of the passenger holding area at New Delhi Railway Station, which enhanced the pre-boarding comfort for travellers, according to an official statement issued on Thursday.

The new holding areas planned across the country will follow a modular design and will be constructed keeping in view local conditions. The Union Minister has directed that all holding areas should be completed well before the 2026 festival season, the statement said.

The New Delhi station managed the extremely heavy rush of passengers during Diwali and Chhath with the help of its newly developed holding area, which was completed within four months.

The Yatri Suvidha Kendra (permanent holding area) at New Delhi Railway Station is designed to accommodate approximately 7,000 passengers at any given time, significantly enhancing pre-boarding comfort and passenger flow.

The facility is strategically divided into three zones — Ticketing, Post-Ticketing, and Pre-Ticketing — to streamline passenger movement. The New Delhi station holding area can accommodate over 7,000 passengers and is equipped with 150 toilets, each for men and women, ticket counters, automatic ticket vending machines, and free RO water facilities.

Indian Railways had also run as many as 7,800 extra trains to clear the surge in passenger traffic for Diwali and Chhath, and set up War Rooms to monitor the festive rush.

Vaishnaw paid a surprise visit to the New Delhi Railway Station and conducted an on-ground assessment of the arrangements made for passengers during the festive season.

Indian Railways established a dedicated “War Room” at Rail Bhawan to monitor and manage the massive influx of festive travellers. This command centre enabled real-time monitoring and allowed officials to quickly address congestion, passenger complaints, and potential incidents, the minister said.

The war room has evolved into an effective system overseeing the entire Indian Railways network, as over 80 war rooms were active at the Railway Board, zonal, and divisional levels, according to an official statement.

–IANS

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