SCR rolls out 700 special trains to tackle festive surge

Hyderabad: With millions of passengers planning to travel home for the major festive season encompassing Dasara, Diwali, and Chhath Puja, South Central Railway has set in motion an expansive operational plan designed to efficiently manage massive holiday footfalls across the region.

To relieve acute booking pressure on regular express services, the railway zone is running approximately 700 special trains connecting major rail hubs like Secunderabad, Hyderabad, and Charlapalli to key destinations across the country.

Major rail terminals are witnessing unprecedented crowds, prompting railway authorities to implement robust crowd control mechanisms, multi-tiered security checks, dedicated women safety patrols, round-the-clock sanitation drives, and streamlined parking management to prevent severe bottlenecking at primary station entrances and ticket halls.

To maintain orderly passenger movement across busy platform areas, Railway Protection Force personnel alongside additional commercial department staff have been deployed in large numbers to regulate boarding queues, monitor foot over-bridges, and manage designated passenger holding zones.

Special focus is being placed on female commuters, with 'Meri Saheli' security teams actively patrolling platforms and passenger coaches to ensure enhanced protection and assistance throughout the festive journey. Sanitation employees are executing continuous cleaning drives to keep waiting halls, foot over-bridges, and platform premises thoroughly hygienic despite exceptionally heavy passenger turnover throughout the day.

Additionally, traffic management personnel and station security teams have completely overhauled vehicular parking systems and access roads to ensure smooth, uninterrupted traffic flow outside major station premises.

Underscoring the massive operational effort undertaken across the network, A Sridhar, Chief Public Relations Officer, South Central Railway, highlighted the sheer scale of the administrative arrangements and strongly urged passengers to rely solely on legitimate booking channels for their travel. "In view of the Dasara - Diwali - Chhath festival rush, SCR is operating around 700 Special Trains to various destinations from several important stations of our SCR Zone. Passengers are advised to book their tickets through IRCTC Official Website or PRS counters at the stations or through authorised agents only," A Sridhar stated.

Railway officials have further cautioned commuters against purchasing tickets from unauthorized touts or fake booking agents, advising passengers to ensure early arrivals at railway stations to navigate security screening efficiently during peak travel hours and avoid missing scheduled trains.

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Juloori Bhargavi Saraswathi

Juloori Bhargavi Saraswathi