To clear festival rush, 1,450 special trains to be operated by SCR till November end

The South Central Railway (SCR) has made extensive arrangements to manage the festive season rush by operating around 1,450 special trains and handling another 500 passing-through specials, in addition to attaching extra coaches to approximately 350 regular trains on popular routes. These measures will continue until the end of November.

Major railway stations

Special trains originating from the region will mainly depart from major stations such as Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Lingampally, Kacheguda, and Cherlapalli, heading toward high-demand destinations including Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, Raxaul, Kollam, Danapur, Mysuru, Bengaluru, Kanpur, Howrah, Bhubaneswar, Madurai, and others.

Footfall of 2 lakh per day expected

Chief Public Relations Officer A. Sridhar said on Tuesday that the passenger holding areas are being set up at Secunderabad station, which is expected to see footfalls of up to two lakh per day, up from the usual 1.3 lakh. Entry into the station will be allowed only after the designated train arrives at platforms 1 and 10 to manage crowding.

At other major stations where footfalls could reach up to 40,000, incoming and outgoing passengers will be segregated using separate entry and exit gates, supported by physical barricades. This will be implemented at stations including Hyderabad, Guntakal, Vijayawada, Guntur, Nanded and others.

To manage peak travel times, RPF personnel and ticket checking staff are being deployed to regulate queues and crowd movement. Divisional monitoring cells have been activated for continuous oversight, supported by CCTV surveillance and maximum manpower deployment at circulating areas, platforms, and onboard trains.

Enquiry-cum-facilitation counters are being established to assist passengers, while catering stall managers have been instructed to stock sufficient food to meet increased demand. Passengers are encouraged to download the RailOne App for real-time train updates, platform information, ticket booking, food ordering, and complaint registration. These measures will be in vogue during the forthcoming Diwali and Chhat festivals too, said the CPRO.