New Delhi: The Railways conducted a trial for crowd control measures on Saturday at New Delhi Railway Station by restricting movements of unreserved passengers to a single platform and scheduling all Maha Kumbh special trains from there as and when demand arose.
Officials said the Railway Ministry chose Saturday to conduct the trial as a stampede had broken out between 8 to 9 pm the same day last week, killing 18 passengers and injuring many.
Soon after the stampede, a temporary passenger holding area was constructed in the station area and it was decided that all special trains for Prayagraj would depart from Platform No. 16, the first platform from one side of the station. According to the Railway Ministry, the whole exercise was carried out on the suggestions and under the constant monitoring of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw who was assisted by Railway Board Chairman and CEO Satish Kumar and other senior officials. All of them kept a close watch on the trial from the War Room of the Rail Bhawan in New Delhi.
Vaishnaw told news agency that the experiment proved successful as it prevented overcrowding of other platforms and ensured seamless transfer of devotees to trains and their onward journey. The minister also visited the New Delhi Railway Station on Sunday evening to review the arrangements and passengers amenities. It was his first visit after stampede.