Festive Rail Travel Soars: Over 1.5 crore passengers have travelled so far, says Ashwini Vaishnaw

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said nearly 1.5 crore train passengers have travelled so far this festive season, adding that over 2.5 crore passengers are likely to travel by the end of the festival period.

Vaishnaw informed that big holding areas have been set up at 30 railway stations for smoother crowd management. Around 30 stations in Bihar, including Patna, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Gaya, and Saharsa, are preparing for the festive rush with additional ticket counters, CCTV surveillance, and other passenger-friendly arrangements.

The railways has also set up 24x7 medical booths with fire brigade and ambulance services on standby for prompt passenger health assistance and safety management.

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Also Read: Indian Railways carries over 1 crore passengers between October 1-19, to add 8,000+ special trains for Diwali and Chhath rush

Special trains, safety measure see massive growth

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, the minister highlighted that during the tenure of former Railways Minister Lalu Prasad, 178 special trains were run during the Diwali and Chhath festivals, which have now increased to over 13,000, representing a massive jump.

“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,” Vaishnaw said, IANS reported.

According to the minister, 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.

Also Read: Indian Railways sets up multi-level war rooms to manage passenger rush: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Digital initiatives and indigenous chipset development

Vaishnaw further said that more than 12 lakh Central Government employees have been onboarded on Zoho’s swadeshi digital suite.

“Chipsets for various applications, including CCTV, are being developed in India. Within two years, India is set to achieve complete domestic production of mobile phone components. The government will invest more than Rs 200 crore to develop energy-efficient microprocessors for high-performance computing, including servers,” said the minister.