12 January 2015

SCR Undertakes Special Measures to Handle Passenger Rush During this January

SCR Undertakes Special Measures to Handle Passenger Rush During this January
In order to cater to the rush of passengers in view of Sabarimalai pilgrimage and Sankranti festival season during the month of January, 2015, SCR has taken several steps to smoothly handle the passenger traffic. Special focus is being given to make available as many berths / seats as possible to meet the demand through optimal utilization of resources.
133 special trains have so far been announced to be run to/from destinations o­n SCR in the month of January, 2015. These include 63 Sabarimalai specials to / from Kollam from various stations o­n SCR such as Kacheguda, Hyderabad, Machilipatnam, Kakinada, Narsapur, Vijayawada and Sirpur Kagaznagar. In addition, 70 special trains are also being run to meet the Sankranti festival / holiday rush during the current month of January 2015. These include- 30 special trains o­n Secunderabad-Viskhapatnam sector; 4 special trains o­n Secunderabad-Kakinada sector; 6 special trains o­n Secunderabad-Machilipatnam sector; 8 special trains o­n Secunderabad-Vijayawada sector; 8 special trains o­n Visakhapatnam-Tirupati sector; 12 Special trains o­n Guntur-Visakhapatnam sector and 2 Jan Sadharan special trains o­n Tirupati-Narsapur sector.
Based o­n an analysis of passenger traffic demand profile, SCR has been regularly augmenting the composition of several trains with the addition of extra coaches o­n a temporary basis. Around 23000 additional berths/seats have been made available into the public reservation system (PRS) for the period of January 2015. The waiting list position in various classes of express trains o­n popular routes is being closely monitored by senior officials daily and extra coaches are being attached to trains with long waitlist within the resources. Through improved operational and maintenance practices, the availability of coaches for passenger services has been maximized.
Additional ticket booking counters will be opened during peak hours to ease out queues. Passengers can utilize the Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs) for getting platform/MMTS/un-reserved tickets at all MMTS stations in twin-cities.Enquiry system at major stations will be strengthened by posting more number of staff. Passengers can meet their enquiry needs from the touch screen kiosks, Passenger Operated Enquiry Terminals (POETs) and LED Passenger guidance boards available at stations; through railway official Websites / apps and also from 139 call centre. For any security related assistance, Passengers can call o­n the 24x7 Security Helpline-1322.
Additional staff from RPF and commercial branches will be deployed in station premises to assist and regulate the crowds whenever needed. Officers and senior supervisors will be deputed to closely monitor the traffic flow and for appropriate immediate intervention. Ticket checking activities will be intensified to prevent ticketless travel and also to avoid inconvenience to bona-fide Passengers.