Hyderabad: South Central Railway on Tuesday issued a travel advisory for rail passengers in view of the ongoing redevelopment works at Secunderabad Railway Station.

According to SCR officials, with the major upgradation of Secunderabad Railway station under under progress, the new entry for the station has been opened at Gate No.2 (beside Ganesh Temple) onto Platform No.1 along with general booking counter facility, enquiry and a Waiting Hall with holding capacity of 750 passengers and with space for 500 others. As Gate No. 4 is closed, an additional entry is provided at Gate No. 3 and 3B (Opposite Swathi Hotel). A new entry has been opened at Gate No.8 (Bhoiguda side entrance) onto Platform No.10 along with general booking facility. Similarly, adequate signage and direction boards have been provided at station entry/exits, in circulating areas, on platforms and on foot over bridges for easy identification and for smooth flow of passenger movement.

Highlighting on several measures, a senior officer, SCR, said, “Commercial inspectors are deputed at station and 24x7 monitoring is being done to report and rectify any failure of equipment and to take prompt action if any untoward incidents arise. Commercial officers are nominated to monitor crowd during peak hours in addition to monitoring of Kumbh Mela special trains. Platforms are being nominated well in advance so that passengers can disperse to respective platforms instead of waiting on Platforms 1 &10 and rushing up to catch the train at the last minute. Apart from this, frequent announcements are being made regarding platforms, late arrivals, Divyangjan coach position, etc. Additional RPF personnel are deployed at entry/exit gates, platforms, concourses and foot over bridges to manage passenger flow efficiently. Even real-time monitoring is done by RPF personnel through an enhanced CCTV surveillance network to identify and address security concerns immediately. Adequate fire safety inspections are being conducted and fire safety protocols are being followed.”

For any assistance, passengers may reach out to the RPF Helpline at 139 for immediate assistance, he added.