Indian Railways has announced a comprehensive plan, with focus on safety, convenience, and efficiency

Indian Railways has announced a comprehensive plan to better manage heavy passenger rush at major stations, with a focus on safety, convenience, and efficiency.

1. Permanent Holding Areas:
- 76 stations identified for crowd management.
- Equipped with seating, drinking water, toilets, ticketing counters, electronic train info boards, CCTV, luggage scanners, RO water, and Divyang-friendly facilities.
- New Delhi station’s holding area is already operational.

2. Access Control:
- Only passengers with confirmed reserved tickets can enter platforms directly.
- Those without tickets or with waiting list tickets will wait in designated holding areas.

3. Wider Foot-Over-Bridges (FOBs):
- Standard designs of 12m and 6m wide FOBs to be installed across stations.

4. AI-enabled CCTV Cameras:
- Large-scale installation for close monitoring and crowd management.

5. War Rooms:
- Coordination hubs at major stations with officers from all departments to manage crowd situations.

6. Modern Communication Equipment:
- Digital walkie-talkies, announcement systems, and calling systems for staff.

7. QR-based ID Cards:
- New design ID cards for staff and service personnel to ensure secure access.

8. New Uniforms:
- Easily identifiable uniforms for staff during crisis situations.

9. Station Director Post Upgraded:
- Senior officer with financial powers to take on-the-spot decisions.
- Unified command structure with all departments reporting directly to the Station Director.

10. Ticket Sales Controlled by Capacity:
- Station Directors empowered to regulate ticket sales based on station and train capacity.

Context
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared these measures in the Rajya Sabha, emphasizing that they are designed to ease congestion, improve passenger safety, and enhance the overall travel experience.

This initiative signals a major modernization push in Indian Railways, combining infrastructure upgrades with digital monitoring and stronger governance.