Hyderabad: Slowly festive rush is back on tracks

Hyderabad: Slowly the usual hustle-bustle at the Secunderabad railway station is back on track. As just a few days are left for Dasara, people are seen rushing to the station. According to the South Central Railway (SCR) officials, as against last year, this festive season there is a moderate increase in rush at railway stations.

On condition of anonymity, a senior SCR officer said, "Compared to last year, it seems that slowly the festive spirit is returning, as due to Covid pandemic last year there were travel restrictions. This year there is a slight increase; an average 90 per cent occupancy ratio has been observed. As earlier, during this festive season, specially Dasara, generally waiting list used to be 200 and above. But no train has that much waiting list; compared to last year the rush has increased."

A majority of people traveling from Hyderabad are going to Bihar, Jharkhand, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, Howrah, Gujarat, Odisha, Rajasthan Bengaluru and Vijayawada. Seeing the rush every festive season and based on a report by Passengers Profile Management Cell, depends on the demand, special trains are being introduced. As of now no such rush is observed on routes, expect Narsapur and Kakinada. In other directions, only moderate rush is witnessed that can be met by exciting trains.

During this month, compared to the last year, daily, on average, around 195 trains are originating and terminating. Around 100 trains are passing through. Also, the demand of passengers has slightly increased daily. In the SCR zone around 4.25 lakh passengers, including unreserved and reserved segments, are availing train services.