New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS) Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday that an analysis was made to identify the peak rush days of the ongoing festive season and special trains have been deployed accordingly, with the majority of passengers expected to travel on ‘Dhanteras’ and three days before the ‘Chhath Puja’ festival.

According to the Union Minister, on peak days, people working in factories and offices usually leave for their villages after 5 p.m. Therefore, the peak rush is expected to begin after 5 p.m. and continue through the night.

“Our war rooms are operational round-the-clock at the Railway Board, the Northern Railway zone, the DRM’s office and railway stations. A four-tier war room arrangement has also been established in Mumbai and other locations,” he told reporters, adding that war rooms are fully operational at stations, divisions, zones and railway boards.

Vaishnaw said that the Indian Railways has put extensive contingency and special arrangements in place to manage the heavy passenger rush during the festive season

“Around six train rakes have been kept on standby at the Shakur Basti depot, which are to be deployed in case of any urgent situation,” he added.

The Union Railways Minister said that last year, a record 12,000 special trains were operated during the festive season.

“Several of those special trains have been converted into regular trains this year, and additional trains are also being operated. This time, around 18,000 special trains have been arranged to cater to passengers throughout the festive season, covering Diwali, Chhath and Durga Puja,” he added.

Ashwini Vaishnaw noted that data of the past 10 years was studied using an AI model to identify which stations witness higher passenger demands during the festive season, both as points of origin and destinations.

“A detailed study was conducted using 10 years of data, excluding the Covid-19 period. The number and timings of special trains have been decided on the basis of this analysis,” he said.

According to the observation from previous years, Vaishnaw said: “The rush is at its peak during ‘Dhanteras’ rather than on the day of the main Diwali festival. Therefore, maximum special trains have been deployed today, keeping in mind the occasion of Dhanteras.”

The Union Railways Minister said that a similar peak is observed three days before the ‘Chhath Puja’ festival.

“So, trains have deployed according to these observations,” Vaishnaw added.

–IANS

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