{
  "id": 18690696,
  "title": "‘Arrangements in place for festive rush,’ Railway Minister says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/07/arrangements-in-place-for-festive-rush-railway-minister-says",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-07T10:25:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/arrangements-in-place-for-festive-rush-railway-minister-says/article71677885.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the government's \"war room\" is closely monitoring crowds at 28 key Indian Railways stations during the festive rush. The minister displayed a live dashboard showing crowd levels across the country. Over 18,000 additional trains have been arranged this Deepavali season, significantly more than the 12,000 special trains deployed last year at the same time. These additional trains came about due to the expansion of tracks at various stations, allowing for more frequent halts, according to Vaishnaw.\n\nSecurity measures have been intensified, with additional personnel from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) deployed at entry and exit points, platforms, and other crowded areas to regulate queues, manage crowds, and enhance overall security.\n\nWhile numerous stations experienced severe crowding, New Delhi's (NDLS) was the only station to reach this level, with crowds building up from 4 p.m. on Friday, November 6, 2026. However, the crowd was relieved by additional trains within four hours, and no such crowd was observed at the station on Saturday morning, November 7, 2026.\n\nTo alleviate the extra passenger rush, Deepavali special trains between Bengaluru-Mangaluru-Goa were operated on November 7, 8. These services aimed to clear the additional passenger load during the Deepavali festival.\n\nA First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against misleading claims of station crowding that allegedly used old footage. The Railway Minister instructed officials to have those clips removed from social media.",
  "summary": "Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Ministry was closely tracking railway station crowds over the Deepavali weekend.",
  "key_points": [
    "Government war room monitoring crowds at 28 key stations",
    "18,000 additional trains arranged for Deepavali season",
    "New Delhi station reached severe crowding on November 6"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}