Railways to operate over 1,000 additional trains to provide relief to passengers during festivals

Indian Railways has prepared a massive plan to address the problem of heavy crowding and waiting lists in trains during the festive season. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced that the Railways are preparing to operate more than 1,000 additional regular trains, so that passengers find it easier to obtain reservations and receive relief during travel.

According to a report by Amar Ujala, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently inspected the preparations and operational arrangements of the 'War Room' at Rail Bhavan. During this visit, he clarified that continuous improvements would be made to the railway system. He stated that operating more than 1,000 additional regular trains would significantly reduce the pressure regarding waiting lists and the availability of reservations.

Discussing train delays, excessive pressure on the network, freight movement, and long-term capacity expansion plans, the Railway Minister stated that the Railways are currently passing through a 'peak congestion' phase. Specifically, there has been a major surge in the transport of coal and other goods, which has increased pressure on the tracks. To solve this problem, 36,000 kilometres of additional rail tracks have been laid in the last 10 years. He emphasised that constructing new tracks and increasing capacity is the only permanent solution to this problem.

Providing information on the specific plan to increase capacity, Vaishnaw stated that seven main rail corridors are currently being 'quadrupled', meaning converted into four-lane. These corridors include routes connecting Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, and Mumbai, as well as diagonal corridors such as Delhi to Chennai, Mumbai to Kolkata, and Delhi to Guwahati. Once this four-lane work is completed, it will become possible to operate more than 1,000 additional regular trains.

He further added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi also continuously grants approval for new railway plans, which is seen in almost every second or third cabinet meeting. The government's working methodology includes continuous improvements and a tendency to learn from experiences. To understand traffic patterns, the Railways have conducted an in-depth analysis of 'Origin-Destination' data from the last 10 years. Through this data, it has been identified on which routes the number of passengers remains the highest.

This entire process is based on a comprehensive and scientific study. The Railway Chairman and his team, including MOWD and MTRS, have prepared a complete plan based on this data. The main objective of this plan is to identify peak traffic patterns and increase the number of trains according to the needs of passengers, so that travel can become more convenient in the future.