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Chennai, Oct 21 (PTI) To handle the surge of travelers during the Deepavali festival, the Southern Railway has introduced additional trains and strengthened safety and passenger facilities across major stations, a senior official said on Tuesday. According to Divisional Railway Manager of the Chennai Division, Shailendra Singh, 85 special trains covering 435 trips across 20 sectors were introduced to manage the holiday rush, along with 176 additional train services with extra stoppages at key stations. About 300 security personnel were deployed to manage boarding of reserved passengers, and temporary holding areas with seating, drinking water, and toilet facilities were arranged at major stations to assist waiting passengers. Dedicated help desks and information counters were set up to assist the passengers. As many as 11 counters were established in Chennai Central, Egmore, Tambaram Railway stations to serve the extra rush of passengers. To facilitate passengers returning to Chennai after celebrating the festival, six suburban special trains will operate on October 22 between Tambaram and Kattankulathur, connecting travelers arriving from the Kilambakkam Bus Terminus, he said in a release. The Railway Protection Force, Government Railway Police and Travelling Ticket Examiners (TTE) have been deployed at vital stations to ensure passenger safety. Enhanced surveillance through CCTV cameras, regular patrolling have been implemented at all major stations. To serve women passengers, women facilitation areas and safety assistance measures were strengthened, he added. PTI VIJ ROH
