Indian Railways Big Move: No Entry Without a Ticket, Trial Begins
Indian Railways has launched a strict trial at New Delhi station, allowing entry only to valid ticket holders. The move aims to control overcrowding, improve safety, and ensure passenger comfort.
- Entry at station restricted to ticket holders only
- Trial begins at New Delhi station for one month
- Limited unreserved tickets to reduce festival rush
Indian Railways has initiated a new trial at New Delhi railway station that allows only passengers with valid tickets to enter the premises. This pilot project, scheduled to run for a month, comes after repeated incidents of overcrowding, including one major rush-related accident earlier this year in February. Officials say the trial could be rolled out nationwide if found successful.
As part of the trial, only passengers holding tickets for trains scheduled to depart within the next three hours will be permitted inside the station. This measure is expected to control unnecessary crowding, especially at unreserved coaches, while also making train journeys safer and more convenient for genuine travelers.
Another step being tested involves restricting the number of unreserved tickets. Currently, there is no cap, which often leads to extreme congestion—particularly during festive seasons. Under the new system, each unreserved coach will be limited to 150 tickets from the originating station. In addition, only about 20 percent more tickets will be issued from intermediate stations. For example, if a train has four unreserved coaches, only 600 tickets will be sold at the starting point.
During festivals, it is common to see coaches built for 80 passengers packed with 300 to 400 travelers. Officials believe that restricting ticket numbers will prevent such dangerous overcrowding and make travel more manageable.
According to Northern Railway CPRO Himanshu Shekhar, this decision follows the Railway Board’s earlier successful experiment with controlled ticket issuance, which proved effective in crowd management. Authorities are confident that the current trial will further streamline operations.
If the initiative works as planned, it could soon be extended to major stations across India, offering relief to millions of passengers who struggle with overcrowded trains during peak travel periods.
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