New Delhi, Oct 23 (IANS) Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday informed that Indian Railways has established special “war rooms” at the divisional, zonal, and board levels to manage heavy passenger congestion during the festive season effectively.

The Minister said that real-time decisions are being made through these war rooms to ensure smooth passenger movement. So far, 10,700 trains have been operated through IRCTC, while nearly 3,000 additional trains have been kept in reserve to address sudden spikes in passenger demand.

Explaining the system’s effectiveness, Vaishnaw cited recent examples where congestion was swiftly resolved.

On October 18, Udhna railway station in Surat witnessed a heavy passenger load, which was immediately eased after additional trains were deployed from nearby stations.

A similar situation in Ambala was managed by increasing the number of trains in and around Jalandhar.

The minister further informed that the number of destinations in Bihar has been expanded to 18 this year, compared to seven last year, to accommodate the rising travel demand ahead of the festive season.

A central command war room has also been set up at Rail Bhavan in New Delhi to oversee and coordinate the overall network. This facility enables real-time monitoring of congestion, passenger grievances, and on-ground incidents.

According to Vaishnaw, over 80 war rooms are now operational across the Indian Railways system, making it a robust mechanism to ensure timely interventions and improved passenger experience.

Earlier, in an official statement, the Indian Railways said that it plans to run 1,500 special trains during the next five days with an average of 300 specials per day to cater to the surge in passengers ahead of Chhath festivities.

These special trains will be operated in addition to the regular train services that are already running to these destinations.

“As travel surges for the Chhath festival ahead, Indian Railways is going the extra mile to ensure that all travellers reach their destination safely and comfortably,” the statement said.

This year, Indian Railways increased the number of special trains it ran during the Diwali season. According to the statement, in addition to regular trains, 4,493 special train trips—an average of 213 trips per day—were run over the past 21 days, assisting passengers in getting home safely for the Diwali celebrations.

–IANS

aps/dan