New Delhi: Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics, and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, inaugurated the ‘war room’ set up by the Railway Board to oversee nine railway stations in the Prayagraj region through CCTV cameras in preparation for Mahakumbh 2025. He also released a booklet providing information to passengers in 22 Indian languages and English. Additionally, he announced the commencement of announcements in 12 Indian languages at Prayagraj station.

Speaking to journalists, Vaishnaw said that the Mahakumbh is a grand celebration of culture. Extensive arrangements have been made at all nine stations in the Prayagraj region for passengers travelling to Prayagraj to participate in the Snan at the Sangam.

Indian Railways has installed 1,186 CCTV cameras across nine stations in the Prayagraj Mela region as part of a comprehensive surveillance system. This includes 764 new cameras, with 116 equipped for facial recognition. A five-tier system has been established to monitor and analyse the camera feeds, with activities on all platforms and circulating areas tracked from control rooms at the stations. These control rooms will oversee real-time monitoring, while a central war room at the Railway Board level, staffed with senior officials, will ensure round-the-clock supervision.

A dedicated team of officers will conduct round-the-clock monitoring at the divisional level, with similar arrangements at the zonal level. The war room established at the Railway Board will include officials and staff from the Operations, Commercial, Signal and Telecommunications, Mechanical, Electrical, and Railway Protection Force departments. They will monitor all trains operating for the Mahakumbh and stations in the Prayagraj region. Based on the information received from the stations, decisions will be made regarding the smooth functioning and expansion of passenger facilities as needed.

During the entire Mahakumbh period, Indian Railways will operate over 3,100 special trains in addition to 10,000 regular trains. The number of special trains will be 4.5 times higher compared to the previous Kumbh.

For the convenience of passengers attending the Mahakumbh, Indian Railways has completed the construction of the Ganga Bridge along with the doubling of the Varanasi-Madhosingh-Prayagraj line and the Phaphamau-Janghai line. Directional colour-coded holding areas have been created for passengers, and tickets in different colours will be issued for different directions. A barcoded UTS system for the Digital Mahakumbh has also been launched.

Nine railway stations in the Prayagraj region have been specially prepared for the event. These include Prayagraj Junction, Naini Junction, Prayagraj Chheoki, Subedarganj, Prayagraj Sangam, Prayag Junction, Phaphamau Junction, Prayagraj Rambagh Station, and Jhunsi Station. All level crossing gates in the Prayagraj region have been closed, and 21 new ROBs and RUBs have been constructed, making rail operations smoother.

Separate entry gates have been designated for unreserved-class passengers at Prayagraj Junction, while reserved-class passengers will enter through Gate No. 5. Similar arrangements for colour-coded holding areas and separate entry gates for passengers travelling in different directions have been implemented at other stations. Additionally, the unreserved ticketing system now features direction-based colour-coded tickets.

With the construction of seven new platforms, the total number of platforms at all nine stations in the Prayagraj area has increased to 48. Second entry points have been developed at seven new stations in the Prayagraj area. Subedar Ganj Station has been developed as a satellite station for Prayagraj Junction.

The Mahakumbh-2025, being held at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers in Prayagraj from 13 January to 26 February, is expected to witness the participation of over 40 crore people. Devotees from more than 100 countries will also participate. Indian Railways will play a crucial role in ensuring the successful organisation of Mahakumbh 2025.

Six dates have been fixed for the main bathing festivals:

Paush Purnima: 13 January 2025
Makar Sankranti: 14 January 2025
Mauni Amavasya: 29 January 2025
Basant Panchami: 3 February 2025
Magh Purnima: 12 February 2025
Maha Shivaratri: 26 February 2025

During the 2019 Kumbh Mela, 45 per cent of the total passengers arrived at Prayagraj Junction. To operate more stations, the remodelling of Prayagraj, Phaphamau, Rambagh, and Jhunsi yards has been carried out. The roads connecting all the stations in Prayagraj have been widened. Seventeen new temporary passenger shelters have been built, increasing the total number of railway shelters in the Prayagraj region to 28. The holding capacity of these shelters has increased from 21,000 to 110,000.

Indian Railways has made arrangements to issue over 10 lakh tickets daily to ensure passengers do not face difficulties in obtaining tickets. In line with the goal of a digital Kumbh, ticketing has been made available through the barcode-based UTS system. First aid booths have been established at all platforms, and a medical observation room has been set up at every station, with doctors and medical staff available round the clock.

To ensure smooth operations, more than 13,000 employees have been deployed by the Railways. About 10,000 personnel from the Government Railway Police will be available to assist passengers at railway stations and premises. Over 1,000 volunteers will also be available to help passengers at the stations. More than 1,000 cleanliness personnel will work day and night to maintain the cleanliness of stations.

More than 20,000 square metres of wall space at stations has been painted with Kumbh-themed artwork. New foot overbridges, toilets, ramps, and other facilities have been constructed at all stations for passenger convenience. Colour-coded foot markers have been placed on the platforms to guide passengers to the exit.

BI Bureau