Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that Indian Railways will operate a total of 13,000 trains, including 3,000 special services, to accommodate the massive influx of devotees heading to Prayagraj. The event, set to begin on January 13, coinciding with Paush Purnima, and ending on February 26, will attract an estimated 1.5 to 2 crore passengers.
Vaishnaw, who traveled by train from Varanasi to Prayagraj to assess the preparations, visited several stations across the Northeast Railway, Northern Railway, and North Central Railway zones. During his visit, he also reviewed the newly constructed bridge over the Ganga, which has been built after 100 years and is set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
One of the key highlights of the preparations is the infrastructure at major stations. Vaishnaw inspected five stations and praised the newly designed holding areas where devotees will wait for their trains. These areas are equipped with color-coded sections to help passengers find the right platform easily. In a significant development, the Minister introduced the mobile Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) in Prayagraj, which was previously used for the Rath Yatra in Puri. This system will allow passengers to purchase tickets conveniently from their mobile devices, easing the ticketing process during the large-scale event. The railway tracks between Prayagraj and Varanasi have been doubled, and the Phaphamau-Janghai section has also been expanded. New entrances and upgraded facilities have been added at key stations like Jhansi, Phaphamau, Prayagraj, Subedarganj, Naini, and Cheoki.
To ensure smooth operations during the event, real-time monitoring will be conducted from control rooms set up at each station. These rooms will transmit live updates to a central master control room at Prayagraj, with CCTV feeds from the Maha Kumbh Nagar and local police stations monitored as well. In terms of crowd management, lessons learned from the Ram Mandir consecration in Ayodhya and the Rath Yatra in Puri have been applied to the Kumbh preparations. Vaishnaw emphasized the development of over 23 holding areas, 48 platforms, 21 new foot overbridges, and 554 ticketing kiosks to enhance commuter experience and safety. With an investment of over Rs 5,000 crore in the last two years, Indian Railways is fully prepared to handle the expected surge of passengers during the Maha Kumbh Mela, ensuring a smooth and efficient travel experience for millions of devotees.
