Railway steps to tackle rush

NEW DELHI: Dense fog over Uttar Pradesh and Bihar has not only spelled more trouble for passengers but also railway authorities.
To tackle the enormous rush, the railways has increased the number of waiting halls from two to nine at New Delhi station. As a result, the total holding capacity has witnessed a significant jump from 2,000 to 5,000, said Northern Railway PRO S K Sharma.Two special screens have been installed at platforms 1 and 16 to provide information on train schedules and stating the exact reason for delay.
To ensure that passengers are not inconvenienced, the ministry of railways has instructed station masters and divisional managers to make sure that there are adequate stocks of food, water and milk on-board. Several trains like Rajdhanis are running way behind schedule, so officials have been instructed to offer a fresh round of food to passengers.
The move comes in the wake of slow movement of trains, specially between Delhi and Howrah. The arrival and departure timings of Rajdhanis and Durontos have gone haywire. The worst-affected are trains connecting Delhi with eastern states and other northern areas, said a Northern Railway spokesperson. Rajdhanis for Guwahati, Howrah, Patna, Sealdah and Bhubaneswar have been delayed by four to eight hours for the last couple of days.