SCR running 700-plus special trains to handle Dasara, Diwali and Chhath Puja rush

South Central Railway (SCR) is operating more than 700 special trains during the ongoing festive season to meet the surge in passenger demand for Dasara, Diwali and Chhath Puja, while stepping up safety and crowd-management measures across its network.

Around 4 lakh additional passengers past week

The zone has carried around four lakh additional passengers in the past week alone through a series of special services connecting key destinations across the country. A total of 120 special trains were operated during the week to high-demand destinations, including Prayagraj, Danapur, Santragachi, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Tiruvannamalai, Brahmapur, Nagercoil, Chhapra, Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Kollam, Palanpur, Tirupati, Narasapur, Kakinada, Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam Road, as per an official release.

Extensive security and passenger-facilitation measures were introduced at major railway stations with additional personnel from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the commercial department deployed to monitor crowd movement, coordinate arrangements and assist passengers.

Extra ticket counters, ATVMs

Extra ticket counters at busy stations including four additional counters at Secunderabad Station, while two extra counters at Hyderabad, Kacheguda, Lingampalli and Charlapalli stations were provided. Additional Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs) too were installed at major stations to reduce waiting time for passengers.

Women staff to assist female passengers

Dedicated women staff were deployed at Secunderabad, Hyderabad and Kacheguda stations to assist female passengers during the holiday rush. A regulated queue system was introduced for passengers travelling in general compartments of heavily crowded trains. Separate entry and exit gates, physical barricades and queuing channels were arranged at major stations to streamline passenger movement.

Meanwhile, SCR General Manager Sanjay Kumar Srivastava reiterated that all employees, including supervisors and officers working near railway tracks at night must wear reflector jackets to improve visibility and safety. He also emphasised the use of technology in railway operations and called for expediting the deployment of GPS trackers for keymen and track patrolling staff to further enhance safety standards.