TIRUCHY: With the State government announcing more relaxations and Deepavali around the corner, the footfall of passengers at the Tiruchy railway station has increased in the past one month. Steps are being taken to handle the rush, officials said.
According to railway sources, the Tiruchy railway junction recorded an average passenger footfall of 19,099 per day in September. Now, it has increased to 20,885 per day. Before the pandemic (2019-20), the number was 52,715 per day. However, with the announcement of resuming classes from 1-8 from November 1 and Deepavali around the corner, the footfall has increased and is expected to further increase in the coming days.
A senior official said, "The Southern Railway is already running 95 per cent of Mail and Express trains that were run during the pre-Covid time. Deepavali special trains are being operated in the routes -- Chennai-Santragachi (West Bengal), Chennai-Coimbatore, Chennai Egmore - Nagercoil sectors. Besides, more special trains will be introduced in the coming days, keeping in view of the demand."
Apart from operating special trains, the Railway has also directed its team to ensure Covid-19 safety measures on stations and trains.
"We have already deployed ticket checking officials and RPF officials to regulate the crowd at stations. The railway will also allot additional counters to clear the extra rush. Apart from this, extra coaches and special trains will be allotted on demand basis," an official said.
Revenue increase
The revenue of the Tiruchy railway division has also increased in the past two weeks. For instance, from September 1 to 15, Rs 10.46 crores was generated through ticket booking (reserved passenger booking). In the next half, ie., from September 15 to 30, it went up to Rs 11.46 crores. This month till October 15, the division recorded a revenue of Rs 12.10 crores from reserved passenger booking.