New Delhi: The Northern Railway has temporarily restricted the sale of platform tickets at New Delhi railway stations to control crowds and ensure smooth passenger movement. For the next week, platform tickets will not be available between 4 pm and 11 pm.
This measure comes after a stampede at the station on Saturday around 10 pm, which resulted in 18 deaths and several injuries. “The decision to stop platform ticket sales from 4 pm to 11 pm at New Delhi Railway Station for the next week aims to manage crowd control,” said Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, CPRO of Northern Railways.
Security beefed up
Meanwhile, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Delhi Police were deployed at New Delhi Railway Station on Monday to control the crowd. Official sources stated that the CRPF would assist Delhi Police as needed. Senior CRPF officers are also conducting inspections at the station. An official said that the station remained packed on Sunday, with thousands of passengers facing difficulties in boarding trains due to the heavy rush.
Strict rules are also in place at major Uttar Pradesh stations like Prayagraj, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Kanpur, Lucknow, and Mirzapur. Officials say they are following past festival protocols. At Prayagraj Junction, passengers wait in a holding area until their train arrives.
New Delhi Railway Station stampede
The stampede on Saturday happened around 10 pm when a large crowd rushed towards platform 16 due to a mistake in train announcements similar names, “Prayagraj Express” and “Prayagraj Special.” The narrow stairway became packed as some people tried to go up while others tried to come down, creating a bottleneck. Panic spread quickly, and people started falling, which led to a dangerous crush. On Sunday, the station was still overcrowded, with thousands struggling for space on platforms and foot-over bridges.
