New Delhi: In view of the heavy rush at railway stations for the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, the Northern Railway has announced to run four special trains to facilitate smooth travel of devotees and all passengers. The decision comes in the wake of the stampede at the New Delhi railway station late Saturday night, which claimed the lives of 18 people and left several others injured.
Northern Railway said, "For the convenience of railway passengers and to reduce the extra rush during the Maha Kumbh Mela, the Railways has decided to run four Maha Kumbh Mela special trains. These trains are meant specially for the passengers heading to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh."
The following special trains have been introduced for the Maha Kumbh:
- Train number-04420 will depart from New Delhi at 7 PM and reach Phaphamau Junction via Ghaziabad, Moradabad, Bareilly, Lucknow, Rae Bareli.
- Train number-04422 will leave from New Delhi at 9 PM and travel via Ghaziabad, Moradabad, Bareilly, Lucknow and Rae Bareli, before reaching Phaphamau Junction.
- Train number-04424 will leave from Anand Vihar Terminal at 8 PM and reach Phaphamau via Ghaziabad, Moradabad, Bareilly, Lucknow and Rae Bareli.
- Train number-04418 will depart from New Delhi at 3 PM and halt at Ghaziabad, Chipyana Buzurg, Kanpur, Lucknow, Phaphamau, Varanasi, Deen Dayal. The service of this train will be till Darbhanga Junction via Upadhyay Junction and Pataliputra Junction.
Stampede At New Delhi Railway Station
Every day, lakhs of people are flocking to Prayagraj for Maha Kumbh to take holy dip at the Sangam. The Saturday night stampede was an outcome of unprecedented rush of passengers at the New Delhi railway station platforms. Many of these passengers were headed to Prayagraj. The overcrowding led to chaos on platforms 14 and 15, resulting in a stampede. The injured persons are currently under treatment at various hospitals.
In the aftermath of the mishap, the Delhi Police has launched an investigation into the incident. Officers of the DCP rank are leading the probe. Soon after the stampede, Delhi Police immediately deployed six additional police forces to the scene. The Railways has also set up a two-member committee comprising Narsingh Deo (Principal Chief Commercial Manager) and Pankaj Gangwar (Principal Chief Security Commissioner) to investigate the stampede. The inquiry has started and the panel has given orders to secure all the video footage of New Delhi Railway Station, Dilip Kumar, Executive Director (I&P), Railway Board informed.
