India News | Maha Kumbh: Railway Minister Visits Prayagraj, Lauds Contribution of Every Staff
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Railway Minister Ashwini 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.
New Delhi, Feb 27 (PTI) Railway Minister Ashwini 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.
A press statement released by the Railway Ministry on Thursday said Vaishnaw visited various stations under the North Central Railway (NCR), North Eastern Railway (NER) and Northern Railway (NR) to assess on-ground operations.
"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," the press note said.
"From frontline staff assisting passengers to RPF (Railway Protection Force), GRP (Government Railway Police) and police personnel ensuring security, from engineers maintaining seamless train operations to safai karmis upholding cleanliness, and from doctors and paramedics providing medical aid to help desk officials and booking staff facilitating travel, each contribution was recognised," it said.
According to the ministry, 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.
"He personally thanked every employee, from the first to the last row, walking through the stations, exchanging words of encouragement and expressing heartfelt gratitude to those who worked tirelessly round the clock to ensure a seamless Maha Kumbh 2025 experience for millions of pilgrims," the ministry said.
Highlighting the unprecedented scale of operation, the press note said Indian Railways significantly exceeded its initial operational plan for Maha Kumbh and a total of 17,152 trains ran, surpassing the originally planned 13,000 trains, marking a fourfold increase compared to the last Kumbh.
"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 ministry said.
"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.
"Indian Railways implemented a robust medical and emergency support system to ensure passenger safety and convenience. Centralised help desks, medical facilities, ambulances, fire brigades and mobile toilets were deployed in coordination with district authorities, while additional catering services were arranged at stations," it said.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)