Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw today said that around 1.5 crore train passengers have traveled  so far in this festive season. He added that over 2.5 crore passengers are likely to travel by the end of festival season. Talking to reporters in New Delhi, Mr. Vaishnaw said that big holding areas have been set up at 30 stations for smoother crowd management. 

Talking about the special train operations in the previous government’s term, the Minister highlighted that during former Rail Minister Lalu Prasad’s tenure, 178 special trains were run during the Diwali and Chhath festival, whose number now has exceeded over 13 thousand. Mr. Vaishnaw further said that safety of railways has also increased and number of accidents have reduced from over 170 in 2014 to mere 31 in 2024-25 year. He also added that rail track construction has risen from 400-600 kilometers per year to over four thousand kilometer year. The Minister said that his ministry’s aim is to reduce the number of accidents and make safe travel experiences of passageres.