Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The next time festival travel sends thousands of passengers rushing towards railway stations, the waiting experience could look a little different. Indian Railways is developing new passenger holding areas at Anand Vihar Terminal in Delhi and Udhna Railway Station in Gujarat. Called Yatri Suvidha Kendras, these facilities are being planned to keep large crowds from spilling into platforms and station approaches during peak periods. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reviewed the progress of both projects on Friday, with the focus on speeding up construction, resolving site-related issues and completing the facilities ahead of the forthcoming major festival rush.
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ANAND VIHAR YATRI SUVIDHA KENDRA
At Anand Vihar Terminal, the Yatri Suvidha Kendra is being built in two phases. The first phase will provide a dedicated waiting area for around 4,000 passengers, while the completed second phase will take the total capacity to about 7,000 passengers.
Work on the foundation and structural components is underway. The Railway Ministry said the review also covered civil works, removal of obstructions, utility shifting, structural work and passenger amenities.
UDHNA HOLDING AREA TO ACCOMMODATE 15,000
The Udhna railway station project is planned on a larger scale. Its passenger holding area will be able to accommodate around 15,000 passengers at a time.
The facility is also planned to improve connectivity between the holding area and platforms, allowing passengers to move through the station in a more organised manner and helping reduce crowding.
WHAT WILL THESE PASSENGER HOLDING AREAS OFFER?
The passenger holding areas will provide covered waiting and seating spaces, ticketing facilities, toilets and washrooms, drinking water and other basic amenities. They will also have public address and passenger information systems, CCTV surveillance, security arrangements, lighting, display boards, signage and organised passenger circulation.
The idea is straightforward: keep large crowds in a designated space until they can move towards the station and platform, instead of allowing congestion to build up at busy points. The Railways has been expanding this model after passenger holding areas were used during earlier festival periods to manage heavy crowds.
WHY ANAND VIHAR AND UDHNA MATTER
Both stations regularly handle heavy passenger movement, making crowd management especially important during peak travel periods. The new Yatri Suvidha Kendras are intended to give passengers a more organised place to wait while helping railway authorities manage movement towards platforms.
The Railway Ministry has planned passenger holding areas at multiple stations across the country as part of efforts to handle periodic surges in passenger traffic.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
