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To meet the overwhelming demand for travel during the Puja festival and ensure safe and smooth transportation for passengers, Indian Railways, under the jurisdiction of East Coast Railway (ECoR), has taken extraordinary steps this year, including the operation of a record number of special trains and the implementation of enhanced crowd management protocols.
According to an official press release by the ECoR, these efforts are aimed at providing comfort, convenience, and safety to passengers travelling during this peak period. Indian Railways has significantly ramped up its operations during the festival season, running 7,700 special trains in 2024 -- a marked increase from last year's 4,500 special trains. These trains have been introduced to facilitate travel for passengers heading to popular destinations across India. From October 1st to November 5th, 2024, Indian Railways has successfully transported approximately 65 lakh passengers through special trains alone. Additionally, during this period, around 7.5 crore passengers were carried to key regions like Bihar, East Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand via both scheduled and special trains. Under ECoR's jurisdiction, special train services have been robustly managed, with the following key statistics: 220 special trains originated from ECoR jurisdiction, heading to various destinations across the country;219 special trains have arrived at ECoR jurisdiction during this period; 218 trains passed through ECoR, with scheduled stoppages at key stations in ECoR jurisdiction. Altogether, 657 special trains have been handled by ECoR between October 1st and November 10th, 2024. During this period, ECoR has managed the transportation of over 3.33 lakh passengers by special trains, which includes 2.16 lakh reserved class passengers and 1.16 lakh unreserved class passengers. ECoR has made significant strides this year to ensure that the influx of passengers is handled in a well-organized and efficient manner. Several key measures have been implemented across stations to ensure the safety, comfort, and smooth movement of travellers. Additional ticketing counters have been set up outside major stations within these holding areas to prevent overcrowding inside the terminals and to expedite the booking process for passengers. A strict queue system has been established to manage crowd movement in both the reserved and unreserved areas. Security personnel, including the Railway Protection Force (RPF), have been deployed to maintain discipline and ensure smooth passenger movement. ECoR has implemented a streamlined and coordinated process for boarding passengers onto special trains. Security staff and station personnel have been stationed at key points to guide passengers and maintain order, both inside the station premises and in the surrounding areas. To ensure the safety and comfort of passengers, a dedicated team of about 50 RPF personnel has been stationed to oversee crowd control, especially during peak travel hours. These personnel are working in close coordination with station staff to ensure that trains depart on time and that passengers board without hassle. The additional measures have resulted in a highly organized travel experience during the busy festival season. (ANI)
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