Hyderabad: Keeping in view the increased demand for rail travel during the Diwali festival and Chhath Puja, South Central Railway (SCR) has geared up to effectively handle the extra rush of passenger traffic during this festival season.
Special trains are being operated on popular routes to accommodate the extra rush of passengers during the festival and holiday season, according to SCR Chief Public Relations Officer A Sridhar.
During the season, SCR has made arrangements to operate 850 special trains; further to meet the demand, extra coaches will be attached to existing trains to ensure that waitlisted passengers can reach their destinations comfortably.
To facilitate smooth ticketing, general ticketing operations have been strengthened with 14 additional counters at major stations, with plans to increase the number of counters based on demand. Additionally, SCR is strengthening the deployment of Railway Protection Force (RPF) and ticket-checking staff at stations to effectively manage queues and crowding during peak travel times.
Officers from headquarters and divisions have been deployed at all the major stations like Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Kacheguda, Vijayawada, Guntur, Tirupati, etc to personally monitor and review the needs of passenger rush.
Sufficient ticket checking staff have been deployed to monitor all reserved coaches of trains, and special ticket checking teams have been formed to prevent ticketless travel and ensure the comfort of bona fide passengers.
Catering stall managers at stations have been instructed to keep sufficient food items to handle the additional demand, and it is being coordinated with IRCTC to ensure adequate onboard catering services also.
Additionally, the Railway Protection Force has also undertaken various measures to manage the rush at stations and ensure safety and security of passengers during festival season.
These include extensive CCTV monitoring; maximum deployment of manpower at circulating areas of stations, on platforms, and on trains; intensified watch against miscreants; and a security awareness campaign to the public that has been undertaken.
Further, RPF officials and supervisory staff have also been deployed at stations to conduct surprise checks.
