To accommodate a higher volume of passengers and facilitate travel to many destinations, for the upcoming summer season the Railway Ministry has announced a significant increase in train services. Compared to last year, there will be a substantial surge of 43% in the number of train trips functioned by the ministry.
According to a press release from the Railway Ministry, to ensure the convenience of passengers and manage the anticipated surge in travel demand, the Indian Railways is operating a record-breaking 9,111 trips during the summer season. This shows a substantial rise compared to the summer of 2023, where 6,369 trips were offered. This shows an increase of 2,742 trips, demonstrating the Indian Railways’ commitment to meeting passenger demands successfully.
According to the ministry, the additional trains have been accurately planned to connect key destinations nationwide, ensuring seamless travel on major railway routes. From these 9,111 train trips, the Western Railway will operate the highest number – 1,878, which is followed by the North Western Railway with 1,623 trips. Other Railway zones that will run several number of trips include the South Central Railway (1,012 trips) and the East Central Railway (1,003).
The Railway Ministry also said that all zonal railways spread across India have geared up to operate these additional trips catering to the summer travel rush from states like Karnataka, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana, Utter Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.
Before the ministry decided to increase train trips, they collected information from all communication channels 24×7, including social media platforms, media reports, and the Railway Integrated helpline number 139, in addition to details of waitlisted passengers in the PRS system, to recognize the demand for trains on certain routes. Based on this condition, the number of trains and trips are augmented. Neither the number of trains nor the number of trips run by additional trains are static for the entire season, says the ministry.
The ministry has also directed Zonal Railways to ensure the availability of drinking water at railway stations during the summer season. At major and important railway stations, elaborate crowd control arrangements are made. At these stations, senior officers are stationed to systematically regulate the crowd and monitor all activities.
Additionally, the ministry has issued instructions to deploy Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) at foot-over bridges to regulate crowds smoothly, thereby avoiding stampede-like situations during periods of heavy rush.
