Sealdah Division Sets New Benchmark in Festive Readiness with Record Train Services and Advanced Crowd Management System.
Kolkata, 22 October:
Sealdah Division of Eastern Railway has implemented comprehensive arrangements to manage the massive passenger rush anticipated during the Chhat Puja festivities.
Demonstrating a strong commitment to ensuring a comfortable and safe travel experience, the Division has significantly augmented the number of special train services and deployed state-of-the-art technology for crowd control, and the following plans are being executed.
Record Special Train Services- In a major relief to thousands of commuters traveling from Kolkata and Sealdah, the Division has ramped up its special train offerings. This year, a record 146 special train services run to facilitate the movement of passengers, marking a substantial increase compared to the 82 special trains operated during the corresponding period last year. This local effort mirrors a massive national push by Indian Railways, which is running 12,000 special trains across the country this year, up from 7,724 in the previous year.
This near-doubling of services will ensure smooth and convenient travel for a vast number of pilgrims and passengers heading to their destinations.
High-Tech Crowd Surveillance and Management through War Room- Sealdah Division has established a sophisticated War Room dedicated to real-time crowd monitoring and management across all stations. This control center is equipped with a network of 2,200 CCTV cameras, providing live, continuous feeds from every station in the Division and 24 x 7 manned by trained employees and Officers.
Pre-Planned Entry/Exit Ways – Dedicated, segregated entry and exit routes have been established at major stations to streamline passenger flow and prevent bottlenecks, which have already provided considerable benefits to commuters.
RPF Queue Management. Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel are actively managing queues, particularly for general compartments, to ensure orderly boarding and prevent any chaotic situations.
Enhanced Information Dissemination – Special emphasis has been placed on clear and timely public announcements to provide passengers with necessary information and maintain clarity regarding train schedules and platform changes.
Ticketing Efficiency- Additional booking counters have been opened, and the use of the M-UTS is being strongly promoted to ease the load on manual counters and minimize waiting times, thereby controlling crowd accumulation in booking areas.
DRM Sealdah Sri Rajeev Saxena stated that our primary focus this Chhat Puja is to ensure that every passenger has a safe and pleasant journey. The increase in special trains, combined with our advanced, camera-based War Room and meticulous ground-level planning by the RPF, demonstrates our comprehensive preparedness to handle this seasonal surge effectively.
