Hometown-bound commuters switch to train travel

Secunderabad: There was not an inch of space at the Secunderabad Railway Station as people from all over the city made a beeline to hop onto trains.

On an average, the station caters to 1.8 lakh passengers but on Sunday, according to Secunderabad Railway Station Master Rajanarsu, close to 2.3 lakh passengers boarded trains.

To meet the rush, the South Central Railway pressed a Jansadharan train with 14 second class coaches which ferried 1,512 passengers. SCR is running 668 special trains from September 15 to October 31.

In spite of a train every half-an-hour towards Vijayawada and beyond, there was no space available on trains.

The maximum crowds were on Telangana-bound trains as well such as Kagaznagar Intercity, Bellampally Intercity, Bhagyanagar Intercity and Telangana Express. Railway officials say that these trains cover Warangal, Mancherial and Karimnagar.

Many passengers dashed to the railway station and tried their luck, Madhu, a passenger said, "I was lucky as SCR introduced the Jansadharan train. I wish I get lucky on my return trip as well."

Not all were as lucky, Madhusuhan Rao who reached the station along with his family decided to book a car to Guntur after seeing the rush. Railway officials say that there are no berths available for the next few days in almost all trains.

Not just to AP, trains to Kolkata and UP too are running to full capacity.

Many passengers, including women were seen trying to get into the train through windows. Some of the passengers travelling to Srikakulam in general coaches were seen standing in the luggage box.

It takes about 19 hours to reach Srikakulam. The crowd was so heavy that at one point of time the railway police had to resort to mild lathi-charge to bring semblance of discipline on the platform.