Northern Railway has made extensive arrangements for the convenience of passengers during Chhat Puja this year. In order to cope with the increased rush at stations and in trains, special arrangements have been put in place during this peak period.
A large number of special trains are being run to facilitate a smooth journey for the Chhat passengers. The trains operated with reserved accommodation have been 88 so far which is 13 more than the previous year wherein 75 such special trains were run. Similarly 21 unreserved trains have been run so far in comparison with 17 such trains run during this period last year. The number of trains augmented with extra coaches during the Chhat period this year stands at 10 whereas only 6 trains had been augmented during this season in the previous year.
The number of reserved and unreserved passengers in Delhi area alone during the present festival rush from 03.11.10 to 08.11.10 has been 3218074 as compared to 3175195 in the similar period last year, which is an increase of 1.35% over the previous year. Similarly the revenue earned in this period in the current year has been Rs. 27.30 crores compared to Rs. 26.45 crores last year, which signifies an increase of 3.21% over the previous year.
In view of the fact that the number of railway users increases many fold during the festival season, Northern Railway has made extensive arrangements for the convenience of the passengers during the festival season this year. In order to cope with the increased rush at stations and in trains special arrangements are put in place in the circulating areas, concourses, platforms and in trains and monitoring of the same is being ensured at the highest level. The following Steps have been undertaken as a part of the exercise during this peak period.
A large number of special trains are being run to facilitate a smooth journey for passengers. The trains originating from Northern Railway, that are being made available during the festival season, are 52 pairs in number and are conducting about 1160 trips. Similarly, 57 regular trains have been augmented by additional coaches and these will make more than 2500 trips. Many of the special trains are being run from Delhi Sarai Rohilla and Anand Vihar terminals to avoid congestion at the three bigger terminals.
Extra booking counters wherever required have been set up and manned at suitable timings. Additional ticket windows are being manned/opened to facilitate the passengers for journeys over more than 200 kms. Passengers can purchase tickets 3 days in advance from any station to avoid last minute hassle. The enquiry system has been geared up and adequate announcements are being made. Frequent announcements are being made especially for east bound trains in addition to display of information on the various display boards provided in the station areas. "May I Help You" Booths have been set up wherever found necessary. The waiting lists and UTS bookings are being watched closely and suitable arrangements for clearing extra rush are made as quickly as possible. The administration is working hard to keep passenger amenity items in working condition and deficiencies if any are being attended promptly. Catering arrangements have also been augmented.
Special efforts have been mounted to ensure cleanliness in the station area and trains. Coaches are kept in locked condition when empty rake is placed at platform and are subsequently unlocked to prevent entry of passengers in an unruly manner. Proper illumination during nights at stations has been ensured. Platforms with damaged surfaces have been fully resurfaced with Vacuum Dewatered Concrete (VDC) in Delhi area. Stalls have been made modular and relocated to make space on the platforms. Vending trolleys have been disciplined to confine to their size. This has also reduced congestion on the platforms
Adequate security arrangements to cope with extra rush have been put in place. Commercial, RPF personnel and volunteers of civil defence and scouts are deployed for facilitating queuing of general class passengers. The movement of passengers inside stations including FOBs is being closely watched and members of scouts and home guards have been deployed for crowd management at various stations over Northern Railway. The sale of platform tickets is suspended during peak period except for senior citizens, handicapped persons, etc for better crowd management. First Aid Booths have been opened on selected platforms and the nominated doctors are available on call in the event of medical emergency.
The traffic around circulating areas has been controlled/regulated suitably in consultation with GRP/local police. Joint teams of Commercial, Vigilance and RPF staff have been formed to check malpractices in PRS especially in Tatkal Booking. At peak hours, senior officers and inspectors are being deputed as Special Duty Officers at all important stations where passenger rush is being noticed.
During the festive season, Northern Railway Vigilance in association with RPF and Commercial staff apprehended 37 touts during the checks conducted at Delhi area stations. During this period 5 unauthorized travel agencies were also raided and 5 agents were apprehended .In the other checks conducted during this period, 18 persons were also detected travelling on tickets reserved in the name of other (fictitious) persons and fine was realized from them as Railway dues. Besides, a relentless ticket checking drive is also being undertaken over Northern Railway.