Title - 59 special trains to beat festive season rush

Northern Railways will run 23 pairs of special trains to tackle the passenger rush during the festive season. The special trains will make 691 trips to 23 destinations, Northern Railways said. Besides, 36 special trains are being run in the areas under Northern Railway by other railway divisions. This adds up to 59 special trains that will make 1,652 trips. The rush for tickets before Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath means berths across classes on almost all trains are full. The daily footfall at all major stations in Delhi is 9-10 lakh. The number rises to 12 lakh in October and November. This season, 134 extra coaches have been added temporarily to 47 trains and 25 coaches augmented permanently to 12 trains to clear the rush. Vijay Kumar Gupta, the general manager of Northern Railways, said: "Public cameras have been installed to keep a check on touts. Display and information boards for passengers have been installed. Jammers and added security have been put in place inside reservation halls." "The vigilance department plans inspections at all major stations. The focus will be on touts and unauthorised travel agents," Gupta added. A drive by the vigilance department between January and September found as many as 1,556 railway employees, 699 touts and 25 unauthorised travel agents involved in malpractices. Door-frame metal detectors have been installed at major stations. Luggage is being checked manually. Bomb disposal and dog squads have also been put on alert. "For a more effective online booking system, we have upped Internet bandwidth and installed high-capacity servers," he said.