New Delhi, March 7 -- Weeks after the stampede at New Delhi Ralway station, which claimed 18 persons were killed, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw held a high-level meeting on crowd control at stations on Friday, announcing the decision to create permanent waiting areas outside 60 stations across the country.

"Pilot projects have started at New Delhi, Anand Vihar, Varanasi, Ayodhya and Patna stations," a release said, adding that passengers would be allowed to go to platforms only when the trains arrive at the platform, which would decongest the stations.

In the meeting, it was decided that passengers without tickets or waiting list tickets would have to wait in the outside 'waiting area' as those with confirmed tickets would be given ...