New Delhi: A large number of passengers gathered at platform numbers 12 and 13 of New Delhi Railway Station due to delays in the departure of several major trains on Sunday. The Shiv Ganga Express, scheduled to depart at 8:05 PM, left at 9:20 PM, while the Swatantrata Senani Express, set for 9:15 PM, was already occupying the platform. The Jammu Rajdhani Express, scheduled for 9:25 PM, was also delayed, and the Lucknow Mail, originally set for 10:00 PM, was running late. Meanwhile, the Magadh Express, scheduled for 9:05 PM, had yet to be assigned a platform.
An extra rush of passengers was seen at New Delhi Railway Station due to delays in the departure of several trains. However, with some trains now having left, the situation is under control, according to Delhi Police. This comes months after a recent stampede at New Delhi Railway Station, where at least 18 people, including five children, lost their lives, and over a dozen were injured. The incident occurred due to a sudden surge of passengers waiting to board trains to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh Mela.

What Railways Said

CPRO of Northern Railway, Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, stated that the extra rush at New Delhi Railway Station was due to peak evening hours and the weekend crowd. ''Today is Sunday, and the evening time is the peak hour time, so there is an extra rush...Extra arrangements have been made for the extra rush...We have enforced crowd control measures...CCTV was also being monitored, and it is still going on...There was proper crowd management...This was the peak traffic hour time and also the weekend therefore there were a large number of people...I have reviewed the situation at present, it is normal...,'' he said.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Railways, there was a heavy rush at New Delhi Railway Station, but no stampede or stampede-like situation. The protocol of guiding unreserved passengers through the holding area was being followed.