Railways gears up for summer at Patna Junction, adjoining stations

Patna: With increase in temperature and footfall of passengers at most of the major stations, including Patna Junction, Danapur, Rajendra Nagar Terminal and Patliputra Junction daily, the railways has made adequate preparations to cater to the rising traffic at stations falling under Danapur division of the East Central Railway (ECR).According to Danapur senior divisional commercial manager (DCM) Abhinav Siddarth, Danapur divisional railway manager (DRM) Vinod Kumar held a meeting with the branch officers of several departments to take stock of the readiness during summer here on Monday. The meeting focused on railways’ arrangements to make chiller plants and safe drinking water facilities functional at all major railway stations, including Patna Junction, he said.Besides, free arrangements for chilled ‘sherbat’ are being made at these stations. Railways has also ensured that all goods sheds and goods loading points under the division are equipped with safe drinking water and refreshment facilities for workers and staff engaged in freight operations, Siddarth said.To further enhance convenience to passengers, services of NGOs, railway organisations and self-help groups have been roped in to assist passengers, particularly during peak hours. These groups will help in managing crowds and catering to basic needs of passengers at all big and small stations in the division, the senior DCM said.In addition, water vending machines (WVM) have been installed at key stations to provide affordable and clean drinking water. Passengers can also seek assistance through helpline number (Rail Madad: 139) and RailOne mobile application for quick grievance redressal and support during journeys, he said.To avoid long queues, passengers are being encouraged to use the RailOne App to book their tickets digitally. In case of health requirements, railway health units have been asked to attend to passengers in any emergency at Patna Junction, Danapur, Buxar, Bakhtiyarpur, Mokama and Kiul stations of the division, he said.