**Executive Summary**
The Ministry of Railways has allocated over ₹34,000 crore between 2023 and 2026 to enhance passenger amenities and implement robust crowd management strategies. The initiative focuses on developing permanent holding areas at 76 stations, integrating AI-enabled surveillance, and upgrading infrastructure to handle heavy footfall ahead of the upcoming festive rush. Key administrative changes include empowering Station Directors with financial powers and ticket sale controls to ensure safe and organized rail travel.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Infrastructure and Crowd Decongestion**
* Development of permanent passenger holding areas at 76 identified stations to decongest platforms.
* Holding areas are equipped with essential amenities, including seating, RO drinking water, toilets (with separate facilities for Divyangjans), and ticketing counters.
* Installation of standardized wider foot-over-bridges (FOBs) in two new designs: 12 metres (40 feet) and 6 metres (20 feet).
* Prioritized development at high-footfall stations such as CST, Bandra Terminus, Bhopal, Lucknow, and Varanasi.
* **Technology and Communication**
* Deployment of a large number of AI-enabled CCTV cameras for close monitoring and crowd control.
* Establishment of "War Rooms" at major stations to facilitate inter-departmental coordination.
* Introduction of advanced digital communication equipment, including modern walkie-talkies and upgraded announcement systems.
* **Access Control and Security**
* Strict access control measures where passengers with confirmed reserved tickets get direct platform entry, while others are accommodated in designated outside waiting areas.
* Implementation of security hardware including luggage scanners, Door Frame Metal Detectors (DFMDs), and fire-fighting systems.
* Issuance of QR-based ID cards to all staff and service personnel to ensure secure station access.
* **Administrative and Financial Provisions**
* Upgradation of the Station Director post at major stations, granting them financial powers for on-the-spot decision-making and unified command.
* Station Directors are empowered to limit ticket sales based on station capacity and train availability.
* Specific budget allocations: ₹9,392 crore (2023-24), ₹12,884 crore (2024-25), and ₹12,018 crore (2025-26).
**Impact Analysis**
**Passengers**
**Impact:**
Passengers will experience reduced platform congestion and improved safety through better access control. They will have access to enhanced amenities like HVLS fans, improved lighting, and organized waiting spaces.
**Action Required:**
Passengers without confirmed reserved tickets or those with waiting list tickets must utilize designated outside holding areas rather than platforms.
**Station Directors**
**Impact:**
These officers now hold unified command over all station departments and possess the financial authority to make immediate improvements.
**Action Required:**
Exercise financial powers for station upgrades and actively monitor/control ticket sales based on real-time station capacity.
**Railway Staff and Service Personnel**
**Impact:**
Staff will be more easily identifiable during crises and will operate under a more structured security protocol.
**Action Required:**
Must transition to using the new QR-based ID cards and wear the newly designed uniforms for identification and access.
**Ministry of Railways / Zonal Administration**
**Impact:**
The ministry is tasked with a large-scale infrastructure overhaul involving 76 stations, requiring significant project management across multiple states (MP, Maharashtra, and UP).
**Action Required:**
Execute the planning and commissioning of holding areas and wider FOBs according to optimized timelines to meet festive rush deadlines.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Railways: The primary government body responsible for the allocation of over ₹34,000 crore and the implementation of passenger amenity and crowd management projects across the Indian rail network.
Permanent holding areas: An initiative to establish organized passenger spaces at 76 identified stations to decongest platforms and provide essential facilities like seating, toilets, and security checks.
Station Director: A senior officer post at major stations empowered with financial and administrative authority to take on-the-spot decisions for station improvement and crowd control.
Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw: The Union Minister for Railways who presented the policy details and budgetary allocations for passenger amenities to the Lok Sabha.
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh: The key states central to the initial development phase of 23 permanent holding areas across crowded railway stations.
Ministry of Railways
Indian Railways Allocated Over ₹34,000 Crore In
Last Three Years for Passenger Amenities
Including Crowd Management
23 Permanent Holding Areas Across MP, Maharashtra and
UP out of Total 76 Crowded Stations in the Country are Under
Development
Development Progressing Well in Heavy Footfall Stations
Like CST, Bandra Terminus, Bhopal, Lucknow and Varanasi
Ahead of Festive Rush This Year
AI-Enabled CCTV Cameras, Advanced Digital
Communication Equipment, War Room Monitoring and
Control on Tickets Sales on Need Basis to Ensure Safe
Journey for Us
Posted On: 02 APR 2026 7:14PM by PIB Delhi
To handle heavy rush of passengers at stations over the Indian Railways, following decisions have been
taken:
1. Creation of Permanent holding areas at 76 identified stations for crowd management over Indian
Railways:
The Ministry of Railways has initiated plans to establish passenger holding areas to decongest the
platforms at 76 stations, designed as comfortable, organized spaces with essential amenities such as
seating, drinking water, toilets, ticketing facilities, information displays, and security checks to
handle peak-hour footfall. Holding area at New Delhi Railway Station has already been
commissioned, easing congestion and enhancing passenger convenience with facilities like
additional ticket counters, ATVMs, PAS, electronic train information boards, CCTV surveillance,
luggage scanners, DFMDs, uninterrupted power supply, improved lighting, HVLS fans, fire-fighting
and lightning protection systems, RO drinking water, and separate toilets for men, women, and
Divyangjans.
Similar provisions at other stations are under various stages of planning and execution, with
timelines subject to iterative optimization.
The names of stations identified for development of permanent holding areas in Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh are as following:State No. of Stations Name of Stations
Madhya Pradesh 04 Ujjain, Sehore, Bhopal & Jabalpur.
Maharashtra 07 Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus,
Nagpur,
Nashik Road, Pune, Dadar & Bandra Terminus.
Uttar Pradesh 12 Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Ghaziabad,
Lucknow, Varanasi, Ayodhya Dham, Kanpur,
Virangna Laxmi Bai Jhansi, Mathura, Agra Cantt, Gorakhpur,
Lucknow Jn, Banaras.
2. Access control:
Complete access control is being provided, allowing passengers with confirmed reserved tickets direct
entry to the platforms, while those without tickets or holding waiting list tickets will be accommodated in
designated outside waiting areas. Complete access control is being provided where passengers with
confirmed reserved tickets will be given direct access to the platforms whereas, passengers without a
ticket or with a waiting list ticket will wait in the holding area.
3. Wider foot-over-bridges (FOB):
Two new designs of 12 metre wide (40 feet) and 6 metre wide (20 feet) standard FOB have been
developed. These new standard wide FOBs will be installed in all the stations.
4. CCTV Cameras:
A large number of AI-enabled CCTV cameras are being installed at railway stations and adjoining areas to
facilitate close monitoring and effective crowd management.
5. War rooms:
War rooms are being established at major stations, where officers from all departments will work in
coordination to manage crowd situations effectively.
6. New generation communication equipment:
Latest design digital communication equipment like walkie-talkies, announcement systems, calling
systems will be installed on all heavy crowd stations.
7. New design ID card:
All staff and service personnel will be issued newly designed QR-based ID cards to ensure controlled and
secure access to the station.
8. New design uniform for staff:
All staff members will be given new design uniforms so that they can be easily identified during a crisis
situation.
9. Upgradation of Station Director post:At all major stations, a senior officer will be designated as the Station Director, vested with financial
powers to take on-the-spot decisions for station improvement. All other departments will report directly to
the Station Director to ensure unified command and efficient management.
10. Sale of tickets as per capacity:
Station Director will be empowered to control the sale of tickets as per capacity of the station and the
available trains.
During the year 2023-24, 2024-25 & 2025-26 an amount of Rs. 9392 crore, 12884 crore and 12018 crore
have been allotted respectively for passenger amenities which includes expenditure on crowd
infrastructure management.
This information was provided by the Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting and
Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a reply to questions in Lok Sabha on
Wednesday.
*****
Dharmendra Tewari/ Dr. Nayan Solanki/ Ritu Raj
(Release ID: 2248582) Visitor Counter : 165
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