Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday informed that nearly 1.5 crore passengers have travelled in trains till now in the ongoing festive season.
Talking to mediapersons here, Vaishnaw said more than 2.5 crore passengers are likely to travel by the end of the festival season.
Big holding areas have been set up at 30 railway stations for smoother crowd management, he said.
On the issue of safety, the Railways Minister said the safety has also increased, and the number of accidents has reduced from over 170 in 2014 to just 31 in 2024-25, and “we aim to reduce it further and make it safer”.
On running of special trains during Diwali and Chhath festival, Vaishnaw said during former Railways Minister Lalu Prasad’s tenure, 178 special trains were run during the Diwali and Chhath festival, which have now increased to over 13,000.
The minister further said rail track construction has risen from 400-600 kilometres per year to over 4,000 per year.
The Indian Railways is also gearing up for the safe and comfortable return journey of passengers after the Chhath Puja festivities.
For October 28, 6,181 special trains have been notified to facilitate passengers returning to their workplaces after the festival season.
Around 30 stations in Bihar are gearing up for the festive rush with holding areas, additional ticket counters, CCTV surveillance, and other passenger-friendly arrangements.
Moreover, Railways has set up 24×7 medical booths at Patna, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Gaya, and Saharsa with fire brigade and ambulance services on standby for prompt passenger health assistance and safety management.