80 Trains from (vda)vasad jn to (CHM)Chalthan

WR TAKES VARIOUS CROWD MANAGEMENT MEASURES AT UDHNA & SURAT STATIONS IN VIEW OF o­nGOING FESTIVE SEASON RUSH

Additional deployment of RPF staff to streamline the movement of passengers

Railway officials deployed round the clock to monitor the situation and

for crowd management

In view of the festive season rush at Udhna & Surat railway stations and to regulate the number of passengers at railway premises including Platforms & FOBs, Western Railway has taken several precautionary measures and various elaborate arrangements have been made for proper implementation of crowd management at the station.

According to a press release issued by Shri Sumit Thakur – Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, inorder to monitor & control crowd, maximum deployment of staff has been ensured at major stations. Additional booking windows were opened at Surat, Udhna and Chalthan in view of additional load and Holi festival in alternate trains. At Surat station, total 36 shifts are being operated which includes additional 6 shifts while at Udhna total 14 shifts are being operated which includes additional 8 shifts. Around 140 additional RPF personnel have been deployed at Surat & Udhna stations, especially at the entry / exit points & FOBs to regulate the crowd. Besides, special surveillance is being undertaken through CCTV which helps to identify the places which are more overcrowded. Regular announcements are being made at railway stations informing about the running of trains, their arrival / departure status & the coach position of unreserved coaches. Help Desks and Enquiry counters were opened at major stations and are working round the clock for the convenience of passengers. Also, Railway Officers have been deputed to monitor the situation & for crowd management at Surat, Udhna, Chalthan stations. Porter and catering arrangements were made to meet demands of passengers at these stations.

Regular SMSes are sent to passengers to keep them updated regarding running position of the train as well as their reservation status. In view of the recent cancellation, diversion & short termination of trains due to the work of Non – Interlocking (NI) at Udhna Yard, SMS messages were sent to all passengers informing the same. This will help to passengers to plan accordingly and deter additional people entering into railway premises. Additional windows are being operated to process refund to the passengers. The information regarding the affected trains were disseminated through print, electronic as well as social media. Also, huge banners have been installed at various places o­n the station displaying details of cancelled/ short terminated and diverted trains.

It is further informed that the running of extra special trains are being monitored at divisional & headquarter levels by senior officers. Likewise, the waiting list of trains are monitored daily o­n real time basis and additional coaches are augmented in the existing trains from time to time to clear the extra rush. Similarly, Special trains will also be planned accordingly.

Western Railway appeals all its valued passengers to avoid overcrowding at the stations and o­nly the bonafide passengers to enter station premises as per the train timings.

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Indian Railways launches Rail Post Gati Shakti Express Cargo Service (Joint Parcel Product of Railways and India Post)

Collaboration between Indian Railways and India Post is a part of Budget Announcement 2022-23

In the initial phase, services are to start in 15 sectors. Flagging off at 4 locations today

Salient features of this initiative include Door step pickup and delivery, time tabled train service, safe transmission, affordable tariff, single point of contact and mobile application

First time tariff o­n the basis of per Kg of the goods per Kilometre has been determined

Six Parcel trains to Pass through North Central Railway

Indian Railways and India Posts have formally launched Rail Post Gati Shakti Express Cargo Service, Joint Parcel Product of Railways and India Post. It is an initiative of partnership between Indian Railways and India Posts in providing seamless logistics for the services sector in the country. This is in compliance with the Budget Announcement of FY 2022-23. Today it has been started, o­n the four sectors -Delhi to Kolkata; Bangalore to Guwahati, Surat to Muzaffarpur and Hyderabad to Hazrat Nizamuddin.  However, total 15 sectors(mentioned in Annx-A) have been planned to be covered in the first phase.

The highlights of this service are Total logistic Service: Pick-Up and Delivery at customer premises, Palletization -Transportation through covered and sealed boxes, Semi-mechanized handling, Time tabled service, Insurance at 0.05% of the declared value of the cargo for loss, damage and deterioration, Integrated Parcel Way Bill. Joint Marketing Teams between Posts and Railways have been made to take this initiative forward. Doing away with the slab system of pricing is an innovation herein.

Railways and Department of Posts have collectively upgraded their tools, machinery and handling equipment, storage space for optimum use. Specially designed Fold type box, Envelope box, Mesh type Box, Bubble Guard Box made up of aluminium and light weight material have been developed. Similarly, Parcel Aggregation Centre have been equipped with conveyor system alongwith specially designed rakes for efficient stacking. BTU Deck where palatized material can be easily rolled are provided for effortless movement.

Salient Features for Customers:

1. Door step Pick-Up and Delivery: India Post will pick up the consignment at the doorstep of the customer and transport to the Railway Station (first mile activity) and at the destination railway station, India Post will transport the consignment from the stationto the destination address and deliver the consignment at the doorstep of the addressee (last mile activity).
2. Flexibility of Quantum of Load: There is no fixed obligation of loading as party can book small load of 100 kg also.
3. Time Tabled Service: Parcel Train operated under JPP Scheme is a time tabled train with scheduled departure and arrival of Train at Originating, intermediate and Destination stations which
4. Safe Transmission: Indian Railways will provide intermediate transmission between origin and destination railway stations (middle mile activity), in secured sealed boxes, ensuring safe and secured passage through time tabled trains.
5. Insurance: Dept. of Post offers third party insurance facility at an affordable rate of 0.03% of cargo value to the customers availing JPP Service.
6. Affordable Tariff: First mile and last service charges at Rs 6/- per kg gives competitive and cost effective solution to the customers in comparison to existing road rates.
7. Single Point of Contact: India Post will be the single point of contact for the customer for the despatch of consignment from pick up till delivery.
8. Mobile Application: A mobile app is being developed where customers availing JPP service can book the consignment with o­nline payment facility and also can track the status of consignment with live tracking facility.

Earlier, a Pilot weekly service was launched o­n 31st March 2022 from Surat to Varanasi by attaching a VPU to Tapti Ganga Express. After the Budget announcement in 2022-23, proof of concept has been conducted o­n the textile segment from Surat and today after conducting 99 trials o­n single Parcel Van mode and 16 trials o­n full train load mode, Railways have decided to launch this combined initiative across the network.

Annexure A