Railways Announces Special Plan to Manage Holi Rush, Alters Entry Rules

Indian Railways has made special arrangements for Holi. Changes have been made to arrangements at some stations to ensure passengers face no inconvenience and can travel comfortably by train.

Indian Railways: Holi will be celebrated across India on 13 March. People living far from home wish to return for Holi, leading to large crowds at railway stations and on trains. As in previous years, Indian Railways has made special arrangements for Holi. In anticipation of the crowds, the Northern Railway has made changes to arrangements at several stations to ensure passenger convenience and ease of travel. To manage the festival crowds, the railway has altered entry gates at several stations and deployed RPF personnel at FOBs (Foot Over Bridges).

New Systems Implemented at 60 Major Stations

Following a high-level meeting chaired by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to address increasing crowds at railway stations, new systems have been implemented at 60 major stations nationwide to improve passenger convenience and safety. This includes sealing all unauthorised entry points at these 60 stations and restricting platform access to passengers with confirmed tickets.

New Entry Rules at New Delhi Station

Himanshu Shekhar, CPRO of Northern Railway, stated that entry changes have been made at several stations in view of the Holi crowds. He explained that modifications have been made at the Ajmeri Gate site to ensure passenger convenience during the festival.

Entry Points

Entry to platforms 1-15 is via FOB3 (Gate 8), FOB2 (Gate No. unspecified), and FOB1. Entry to platforms 1-15 will no longer be permitted via Gate 10 (Platform 16). Reserved passengers for Platform 16 must use Gate 10, while unreserved passengers must use Gate 12.

Six Stations Get Mini Control Rooms

Special arrangements have been made for passengers at stations during Holi. The Delhi division has established mini control rooms at six stations: New Delhi, Delhi, Nizamuddin, Anand Vihar, Ghaziabad, and Panipat. These rooms will house existing equipment for monitoring train operations and crowd control, and will coordinate with the main control room. Special Duty Officers (SDOs) have also been deployed.