Following the tragic stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on February 15, 2025, which resulted in the death of 18 people, Indian Railways unveiled an elaborate crowd-control strategy to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies in future. As thousands of pilgrims flocked to board trains to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh festival, the platforms became overloaded, leading to chaos.
Immediate Repercussions and the Investigation
The tragedy took place around 8:00 PM local time on platforms 14 and 15, while the ill-fated passengers were waiting for trains to the Maha Kumbh festival. Eyewitness accounts say that announcements regarding the change of platforms caused confusion and a sudden surge as people tried to cross from one platform to another. Confusion was fueled by the similarity in train names—”Prayagraj Express” and “Prayagraj Special,” which generated fear in the minds of the passengers that they would be missing their trains. This triggered panic, and those at the footbridge bridge stairs started slipping and fell on the others, causing a disastrous pile-up.
In response, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw ordered a high-level inquiry into the actual cause of the stampede. A committee of two members has been formed to conduct the probe with senior railway officials from Northern Railway on it. The committee is to review CCTV recordings, examine crowd management procedures and identify the lapses that may have contributed to the disaster.
A Complete Crowd-Control Scheme
In pursuance of the issues highlighted by the incident, Indian Railways has revealed a list of several measures that will greatly enhance passenger safety and streamline crowd management:
The Creation of Special Holding Areas: Sixty railway stations identified as high footfall zones, including New Delhi, Patna, Surat, Bengaluru, and Coimbatore, will have designated holding areas. These zones will regulate passenger flow into platforms, ensuring that only those with imminent departures access the boarding areas, thereby reducing congestion.
The crowd Management Manual is In the works: A detailed manual is in the works for crowd control. This manual would serve as the Bible for railway staff on managing vast congregations, especially during peak travel seasons and religious functions.
Promotion and Campaigns for Passenger Awareness: Public awareness campaigns are being introduced for educating passengers about safe practices in and around the station. The emphasis would be on preventing people from sitting on stairs or congregating in areas that hinder the movement, allowing free passageways during peak traffic.
Additional Surveillance and Monitoring: More than 200 CCTVs will soon be installed in important stations for enhanced monitoring. This will assist live monitoring of crowd behavior allowing timely interventions when necessary.
Deployment of Additional Security Forces: An enhancement in the presence of RPF and GRP, particularly in foot overbridges and platforms where overcrowding can be foreseen. They will guide passenger movement in different places, disallow unauthorized gatherings, and react promptly if any situation develops.
Suspension of platform ticket sales at peak times: To minimize useless public traffic, platform ticket sales will be stopped during defined peak hours, with only senior citizens and persons with disabilities given exceptions.
Long-Term Infrastructure Improvements
In addition to such stuff requiring fast measures, Railways will embark on the infrastructure works aimed at increasing the through public capacity:
Lengthening of foot overbridges and widening of platforms: Existing foot overbridges and platforms will be widened to enable a smooth flow of pax traffic and to hinder bottlenecks consequently.
Use of Technologies for Crowd Management: Emphasis on AI-based systems for the real-time monitoring of the crowd density and prediction of likely congestion places is being considered. This would aid authorities in managing and deploying resources preemptively.
