VISAKHAPATNAM: Due to an increase in traffic at the Visakhapatnam Railway Station, passengers are filing complaints through security helpline and Twitter. To solve the problem quickly and efficiently, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has come up with Segway, a personal transport vehicle which makes reaching the needy easier than going on foot. After the successful working of two Segways by the RPF for patrolling on the station premises, more RPF staff are being trained to launch more Segways in Vizag, Vizianagaram and Rayagada railway stations.
As a pilot project, the Segways are introduced to enhance the visibility of RPF and focus on cutting short the time span of the RPF staff to reach the passengers in need of help.
Currently, Segways are used in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Surat and a few other stations. Now, Visakhapatnam is the first station in Andhra Pradesh where the Segway has been introduced. While Segways need wide platforms for the RPF staff to move, two are currently being used on platforms 1 and 8.
The city station has at least 100 trains, either arriving or departing from the terminus every day, which stop for 15-20 minutes. During the time, RPF receives reports of thefts, especially of mobile phones. “Apart from CCTV cameras, Segways will help control crime on the platforms and general coaches of the trains in Vizag. Every day, we get complaints of abuse, nuisance by passengers through 182 security helpline and Twitter. These kinds of problems can be solved faster than on previous occasions,” said KP James, the RPF Assistant Commissioner.
Body-worn cameras
For security and safety of the passengers, the RPF is planning to get body-worn cameras. The cameras, which can be fixed to the shoulder, will capture visuals of any incident in the train or on platforms in long-range visibility.