Ashwini Vaishnaw chairs high-level meeting on crowd control at stations

A highlevel meeting was held today led by Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw to discuss crowd control measures at railway stations Several key decisions were taken to enhance passenger management and safety across major stations in the countryAt the meeting the following decisions were takenPermanent outside waiting areas will be established at 60 stations that periodically experience heavy crowds These waiting areas were successfully implemented during the 2024 festival season at Surat Udhna Patna and New Delhi as well as during the Mahakumbh at nine Prayag area stations Pilot projects for permanent waiting areas have commenced at New Delhi Anand Vihar Varanasi Ayodhya and Patna stations This initiative will contain sudden crowd surges allowing passengers onto platforms only when trains arriveComplete access control will be enforced at these 60 stations Passengers with confirmed reserved tickets will have direct access to platforms while those with waiting list tickets or without tickets will be required to wait in designated outside areas Unauthorized entry points will be sealed to enhance securityTo improve passenger flow new footoverbridges FOBs will be introduced Two standard designs of 12metrewide and 6metrewide FOBs tested effectively during the Mahakumbh will be installed at all major stationsSurveillance will be bolstered with the installation of a large number of cameras at stations and surrounding areas War rooms will also be established at major stations where officers from various departments will coordinate crowd management during peak situationsAdvanced digital communication equipment such as walkietalkies announcement systems and calling systems will be deployed at stations handling heavy crowds Additionally a new identification system will be introduced with redesigned ID cards for staff and service personnel to ensure that only authorized individuals can access stationsRailway staff will receive new uniforms for easy identification during emergencies Furthermore the position of station director will be upgraded at all major stations with senior officers given financial authority to make immediate decisions for station management All departments will report to the station director for streamlined operationsThe sale of tickets will be regulated based on the capacity of stations and available trains The station director will have the authority to control ticket sales to prevent overcrowding and ensure passenger safetyThese measures aim to improve crowd management enhance passenger convenience and strengthen security at railway stations across the country