Jabalpur/Bhopal, Jun 18 (PTI): The Railways will run special trains connecting Indore, Bhopal and Ratlam on June 20 to cater to additional passenger rush, particularly students taking the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test or NEET re-examination, an official said on Thursday.
The NEET retest is scheduled to be held on June 21 (Sunday).
According to the West Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Harshit Shrivastava in Jabalpur, train number 09354 will run as a special service from Indore to Bhopal via Ratlam, while train number 09353 will operate from Bhopal to Ratlam.
The special trains will comprise 17 coaches, including 13 sleeper class coaches, two general coaches and two SLR/D (Second Class Luggage, Rake, and Disabled) coaches, the CPRO said.
Train number 09354 will depart from Indore at 11.25 am on June 20 and reach Bhopal at 7 pm the same day.
It will halt at Fatehabad Chandrawatiganj Junction, Badnagar, Ratlam, Nagda, Ujjain, Maksi, Shujalpur, Sehore and Sant Hirdaram Nagar stations, Shrivastava said.
Train number 09353 will leave Bhopal at 7.40 pm on June 20 and reach Ratlam at 12.55 am the following day, he said.
The train will stop at Sant Hirdaram Nagar, Sehore, Shujalpur, Maksi, Ujjain and Nagda stations during the journey, the CPRO said.
Railway officials said the special services are expected to provide relief to NEET aspirants going to examination centres as well as other passengers travelling between Indore, Bhopal and Ratlam.
Meanwhile, the Bhopal division of the West Central Railway (WCR) will implement extensive crowd management arrangements at major stations under its jurisdiction to facilitate the movement of NEET candidates.
According to Bhopal divisional PRO Naval Agrawal, examination centres under the Bhopal division are located in Bhopal, Ashoknagar, Guna, Narmadapuram and Vidisha, and a large number of candidates are expected to travel to these cities for the re-examination.
Bhopal is expected to witness the highest number of candidates, with 13,774 aspirants scheduled to appear for the test. The corresponding figures for Guna, Vidisha, Narmadapuram and Ashoknagar are 1,839, 1,709, 1,283 and 865, respectively, he added.
The Bhopal division has instructed officials to maintain special vigil at stations linked to examination centres and take necessary measures to ensure punctual operation of trains on the examination day, Agrawal maintained.
Special attention would be paid to maintaining the schedule of trains passing through or halting at stations serving examination centres, the PRO added.
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Saurabh Kataria said special crowd management arrangements would be put in place at all major stations of the division.
He said additional commercial, Railway Protection Force (RPF) and operational staff would be deployed, while special arrangements would be made at station premises, entry and exit points and platforms to regulate passenger movement.
Necessary barricading and passenger guidance measures would be put in place to ensure smooth movement and queue management at stations, Kataria added.
Railway personnel would provide information and assistance to candidates travelling to examination centres, while officials and staff have been directed to remain alert to deal with any unexpected rush or contingency, said the Senior Divisional Commercial Manager.
The Railway administration has appealed to candidates and their family members to reach stations well in advance, follow the instructions of railway staff and cooperate in ensuring safe and orderly travel.
(PTI)
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.