New holding facility at New Delhi station to mitigate festival rush

New Delhi: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday visited the ongoing work of the holding facility at New Delhi station and ordered officials to speed up the work so that it is completed well before the next festive season.

The permanent facility, which is coming up on the Ajmeri Gate side of the railway station, is intended to deal with the massive crowd of passengers seen during the festive seasons. Covering an area of 5,800 square metres, the holding area has been divided into three functional areas — a pre-ticket area of 1,950 sqm with space for about 2,700 passengers, a 2,288 sqm ticket area that can accommodate 3,100 passengers, and a 1,570 sqm post-ticket area that can hold 1,350 passengers.

To enhance the convenience of passengers, the terminal will be provided with 22 ticket counters, two toilet complexes, a public announcement system, digital display boards, AI-enabled surveillance cameras, luggage scanners, and transparent signage. It will also be completely networked with the Metro.

Construction includes some tricky operations, such as shifting ATM counters, dismantling two mobile towers, relocating prepaid taxi stands, and re-positioning Delhi Police cabins and electric masts.

Railway officials said the new holding area would greatly improve crowd management during peak travel seasons, ensuring safer and smoother traffic flow for passengers.