Can the Delhi Railway Station stampede-like situation happen again during Holi this year? Just like people were traveling to Prayagraj for Maha Kumbh 2025, during festivals like Holi, people go back home to celebrate and enjoy some family time. Many people travel to Uttar Pradesh as Braj Ki Holi is celebrated for 40 days. Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of the Information and Publicity Department, Railway Board, says that they have provided additional amenities to manage crowds during Holi.
He said, “This Holi, we are expecting that many stations will see a large number of passengers. There are some stations from where a large number of people go to Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, we have identified such stations. At stations where there are no basic amenities as per the crowd size, we have provided additional amenities. Also, holding areas have been created at these stations. This time, on the occasion of Holi, Indian Railways has planned to operate more than 900 special trains.”
He said that to manage the crowd during holi, they will be making waiting rooms or permanent holding areas at 60+ locations. At Anand Vihar, Varanasi, and Patna the design of these waiting rooms is ready. All the basic amenities like washrooms and book counters will be available at these areas.
Speaking about crowd management during Maha Kumbh, he said at Prayagraj they had built two big foot-over-bridges. He said that these bridges help a lot in crowd management.
During festivals and special events like Maha Kumbh, crowd management becomes a huge task for Indian Railways. On February 15, a crush of people gathered on platforms 14 and 15 of the crowded New Delhi Railway Station to board trains for Prayagraj, where the Maha Kumbh was being held, resulting in a stampede that claimed at least 18 lives. To avoid such situations, Indian Railways is coming up with all the measures.