Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently announced that the Indian Railways will operate approximately 13,000 trains, including 3,000 special services, to accommodate the massive influx of devotees for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 in Uttar Pradesh. Vaishnaw, who arrived in Prayagraj from Varanasi to assess the Railways' preparedness for the event, expects between 1.5 to 2 crore passengers to travel by train to the city for the Maha Kumbh, which will begin on January 13 and conclude on February 26, marking Mahashivaratri.
Following an inspection of several stations under the Northeast Railway, Northern Railway, and North Central Railway zones in Prayagraj, the minister highlighted key infrastructure upgrades. Also read | Mahakumbh 2025: IRCTC to set up tent city at Prayagraj "I also inspected the new bridge over the Ganga, which will be inaugurated soon by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is the first new bridge over the Ganga here in 100 years," Vaishnaw said post the visit, PTI reported.
He added that he personally reviewed five stations, noting that the holding areas where devotees will wait for their trains were well-equipped and clearly organised, with colour coding on platforms and tickets to guide passengers. Vaishnaw introduced the mobile Unreserved Ticket System (UTS) in Prayagraj, which will be used for the first time during the Maha Kumbh. This system, previously implemented during the Rath Yatra in Puri, will simplify ticketing for the event.
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