Prayagraj Express Or Prayagraj Special? Police Say Confusion Over Same Train Names Led To Stampede

Confusion over similar train names at New Delhi Railway Station led to a stampede, killing at least 18 people, said Delhi Police.

Atleast 18 people were killed in the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night.

Source : PTI

The stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night that killed at least 18 people was caused by confusion over the same initial names of two Prayagraj-bound trains, said the police. 

The two trains with initial names starting with Prayagraj confused passengers on platforms 14 and 16. 

According to Delhi police, Prayagraj Express was already on Platform 14 while Prayagraj Special was scheduled to arrive at Platform 16. 

As the announcement was made for the Prayagraj Special arriving at Platform 16, passengers of the Prayagraj Express who could not reach their train at Platform 14 thought that their train was arriving at Platform 16. 

The stampede happened as an influx of people increased on platform 16 where passengers of Prayagraj Special were already waiting, the police said. 

The New Delhi Railway Station witnessed huge crowds on Saturday as people waited for their Prayagraj-bound trains to take part in the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela. When the stampede took place, there were four more trains scheduled for Prayagraj, out of which three were delayed causing unexpected crowding, said the Delhi police. 

The railway station saw overcrowding on Saturday as railways sold 1,500 general tickets every hour adding to the already existing crowd at the station. 

According to an officer, the railway station was already crowded because the Swatantra Senani Express and Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani Express were delayed. The passengers of both these trains were also present on platforms 13 and 14. 

With the sale of an additional 1,500 general tickets every hour, it only added to the crowd at the station making it overcrowded and uncontrollable. 

The Railways has ordered a high-level probe into the incident. President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives in the stampede.