Ranchi: Railway Protection Force (RPF) has stepped up security and crowd control measures at Ranchi and Hatia railway stations, while the railways have announced a series of special trains to manage the expected surge in passenger traffic ahead of Diwali and Chhath Puja.At Ranchi station, two holding areas, each with a capacity of around 250 passengers, will be set up to regulate passenger inflow. Barricades have already been installed across the station premises and platforms to manage queues and control passenger movement.Additional RPF personnel have been deployed at platforms, entry and exit points and ticket counters to ensure smooth crowd management and prevent any stampede-like situation.“After successfully managing the Durga Puja rush at the station without any untoward incident, we have now tightened our arrangements for Diwali and Chhath Puja rush by deploying a sufficient number of RPF personnel,” RPF inspector in-charge at Ranchi station Sishupal Kumar told TOI.Queue management measures will be implemented on platforms to ensure one-by-one boarding and prevent passengers from crowding near coaches. RPF personnel will also ensure that trains depart only after passengers have boarded safely.“The entire station is being monitored round the clock through CCTV cameras. Apart from the main entry and exit points, separate emergency exits have also been designated for use in case of an emergency,” Kumar said.Similar arrangements have been made at Hatia station, where barricade tapes have been installed on platforms. Passengers have been cautioned against crossing the line until the designated trains arrive.“However, the rush at Hatia station is less compared to Ranchi station,” Hatia railway police station in-charge Rupesh Kumar said.To ease passenger movement during the festive season, a weekly festival special train will operate on the Ranchi-Gorakhpur-Ranchi route from Nov 5 to 19. Railways have also announced special services from Ranchi and via the city to Gorakhpur, Purnia Court, Ajmer, Alipurduar, Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.The Ranchi-Gorakhpur weekly Diwali-Chhath special train (08629/08630) will make three trips between Nov 5 and 20. Tickets in the AC three-tier and two-tier coaches are filling fast, while more than 500 sleeper-class tickets are awaiting confirmation for travel during Diwali and Chhath.Another special train between Ranchi and Purnia Court (08625/08626) will make three trips in each direction between Nov 6 and 21. Sleeper-class tickets are awaiting confirmation, while demand for AC three-tier berths is also rising.Special trains connecting Ranchi with Ajmer, Alipurduar and Anand Vihar Terminal have also been introduced. The Hatia-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus and Hatia-Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal services will operate during the festive period. In addition, trains between Santragachi and Ajmer, and Patna and Charlapalli via Ranchi, have been scheduled to cater to the increased rush.
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