Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and his two deputies held meetings to review the arrangements for handling the huge rush of devotees.
New Delhi: Indian Railways and the Ministry of Railways are working on making elaborate arrangements for the Kumbh Mela with a plan to run 992 special trains besides the 6,580 regular trains from various cities to Prayagraj for the mega religious congregation to be held in Prayagraj in January, said a senior railway official on Sunday, 29 September 2024.
The Railway Ministry has earmarked Rs 933 crore to create and upgrade various infrastructure and amenities for passengers, said officials. Along with that doubling of railway tracks at a cost of Rs 3,700 crore in the Prayagraj Division and adjoining areas is being done at a fast pace for smooth movement of trains.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and his two deputies Ravneet Singh Bittu and V Somanna held meetings on Saturday, September 28 to review the arrangements for handling the huge rush of devotees during the event set to begin on January 12.
“They also hold regular video conferences with senior railway officials, including general managers, of the zones concerned such as the Northern Railway, North Central Railway and North Eastern Railway to take stock of the preparatory activities,” the officer said.
Divisional managers of the railway divisions concerned such as Prayagraj, Varanasi, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, and Lucknow also take part in these meetings to provide regular updates on various ongoing development works, according to the officer.
About 30-50 crore devotees are expected to attend the event.
“In 2019, over 24 crore people attended the event and we had run 694 special trains besides our 5,000 regular services. Based on that experience, we have decided to increase the number of special trains by 42 per cent and make it to 992,” a senior railway official said adding, “In case, there is a need to increase the numbers further, we are ready with a backup plan for that too.”
The official also said that the doubling of rail lines between Varanasi and Jhusi has been completed while the Prayagraj-Rambagh-Jhusi and the Janghai-Phaphamau line are expected to be ready much before the start of the Kumbh Mela.
(With PTI inputs)