Passengers boarding trains without a valid ticket or ticketless is not a new thing in India. In fact, if you have been travelling by train, you will often witness people sitting in the passage, near the door or the toilet. It becomes inconvenient for other passengers who have reservations. This Diwali, people witnessed a massive crowd boarding the train due to which people who had reservations were unable to climb! To tackle this problem, the Indian Railways are planning for an expansion and here’s what it includes.
Indian Railways Are Planning An Expansion
According to a report by NDTV, by 2027, all rail passengers will be able to obtain confirmed tickets, as part of the major Railways’ expansion plans. Additional trains would be added daily. This event occurred just a few days after images of packed trains and platforms during the massive Diwali week went viral on social media. While attempting to board a train headed for Chhath from Bihar, a 40-year-old man passed away. In the run-up to Diwali, train and bus stations are extremely crowded.
The Railways was asked about details of their big expansion and they stated that new railway tracks will be laid out every year. This will lead to a network of 4,000-5,000 kilometre tracks per year! The goal is to increase the number of trains operating daily from the current 10,748 to 13,000 trains. The sources claimed that in the following three to four years, 3,000 more trains are expected to be installed on the tracks. The annual passenger capacity of trains is expected to increase to 1,000 crore from the current 800 crore.
The railways are also attempting to reduce the amount of time that it takes for a train to move. This involves installing more tracks, increasing speed, and increasing acceleration and deceleration in order to boost speed. A Railways study found that if acceleration and deceleration are increased, the trip from Delhi to Kolkata can be completed in two hours and twenty minutes less. Acceleration and deceleration can be increased with the use of the push-and-pull technique.
Also Read: Indian Railways Has New Weight Limit For Your Luggage While Travelling In Trains
Diwali Rush In Trains
Currently, around 225 trains using push-pull technology are produced each year. The flagship train, Vande Bharat, has four times the acceleration and deceleration capacity of the existing trains.
Diwali is a time when you find massive crowds on trains. And to tackle this, the Railway had introduced additional trains. However, after watching the videos of crowded trains surfacing on social media, it seems the strategy failed. Not only did people with tickets miss boarding their respective trains but a man lost his life while tackling the crowd.
Among those who missed the trains was a man from Gujarat who was headed home for Diwali. He wasn’t able to board the train as his air-conditioned coach was overcrowded and criticised the Railway authorities for mismanagement. He expressed his frustration on X (formerly, Twitter) and thanked them for ruining his Diwali.
Also Read: Indian Railways Has Collected Fine Of ₹11,456 Cr From Passengers In Last 10 FYs!
Comment below and share your thoughts about the train crowd, ticketless travellers and this new expansion by Indian Railways.
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva
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