In a major move aimed at improving passenger convenience and managing heavy crowds during peak travel seasons, Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday approved a comprehensive plan to develop 76 passenger holding areas at key railway stations across India.
The initiative draws inspiration from the successful Yatri Suvidha Kendra model implemented at the New Delhi Railway Station, which has set a benchmark in enhancing passenger comfort and efficient crowd handling during festive rushes such as Diwali and Chhath.
According to the Railways Ministry, the newly approved holding areas will feature modular designs customized to local station conditions and are expected to be completed before the 2026 festival season, ensuring smoother travel experiences during high-demand periods.
Highlighting the effectiveness of the New Delhi model, Minister Vaishnaw said that the Yatri Suvidha Kendra, constructed in just four months, successfully managed the surge of thousands of passengers during peak festival travel. The facility can accommodate around 7,000 passengers at a time and includes 150 toilets each for men and women, ticket counters, automatic ticket vending machines, and free RO water facilities.
The center is divided into three functional zones — Pre-Ticketing, Ticketing, and Post-Ticketing — to ensure smooth passenger flow and efficient crowd management.
Building on this success, similar passenger holding facilities will now be set up at 76 major railway stations across 16 zonal railways, including Mumbai CSMT, Howrah, Patna, Bhubaneswar, Varanasi, Chennai Central, Secunderabad, Jaipur, Bengaluru, and Ahmedabad, among others.
