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Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw connected Saturday (October 25, 2025) said that adjacent to 1.5 crore passengers had already travelled during this festive season, and the fig was apt to transverse 2.5 crore by its end.
At an enactment with reporters successful New Delhi, Mr. Vaishnaw said that during Lalu Prasad Yadav’s tenure arsenic Railway Minister (2004-2009), conscionable astir 178 peculiar trains were tally successful Deepavali-Chhath, and the fig present exceeded 13,000. He said that ample holding areas person been acceptable up astatine 30 railway stations for smoother assemblage management.
“The information of the railways has improved. The fig of accidents has reduced from implicit 170 successful 2014 to conscionable 31 successful 2024-25. Our purpose is to bring it down further and marque obstruction question safer,” helium said.
Mr. Vaishnaw’s remarks came connected a time erstwhile the Congress accused the Narendra Modi authorities of deceiving radical successful Bihar by not fulfilling its committedness to tally 12,000 peculiar trains during the festive season, with the Leader of the Opposition successful the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, asserting that helpless travellers are being forced to undertake “inhuman” journeys.
The enactment alleged that contempt claims made up of the State elections, lone astir 1,500 trains were operated, leaving thousands of passengers stranded oregon forced to question successful unsafe conditions.
Mr. Gandhi said that trains to Bihar were “packed beyond capacity,” making the travel “inhuman”. “This is simply a period of festivals — Diwali, Bhai Dooj and Chhath — erstwhile radical agelong to instrumentality location to their families. But trains are overcrowded, tickets are intolerable to get, and radical are hanging onto doors and roofs. Where are the 12,000 peculiar trains?” helium said successful a station connected X.
Mr. Gandhi said that if employment and dignity existed successful Bihar, radical would not person to question thousands of kilometres successful hunt of work. “These are not helpless travellers but surviving impervious of the NDA’s deceitful policies. Safe and respectable question is simply a right, not a favour,” helium added.
At a property league successful Delhi, Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh accused Mr. Modi of “lying to the people” earlier the polls. “There was alleviation erstwhile Modi and the Railway Minister announced 12,000 trains. But lone 1,500 were run. This is yet different betrayal towards Bihar,” helium said.
Party spokesperson Abhay Dubey said the NDA had “played with the faith” of radical during Chhath Puja. “While Modi and BJP leaders alert successful craft worthy thousands of crores, communal radical are forced to question connected dangerously overcrowded trains,” helium said, adding that voters would “teach them a lesson.”
The Ministry of Railways, however, said it had scheduled 12,011 peculiar bid trips betwixt October 1 and November 30, averaging 196 services regular to conscionable the festive rush. Officials said each disposable coaches were mobilised, including repaired ones, to guarantee passengers could scope location for the festivals.
The BJP has maintained that the Centre has worked extensively to amended connectivity. The contention comes arsenic Bihar heads to Assembly elections connected November 6 and 11, with results to beryllium declared connected November 14.
