More than 1 lakh passengers used special trains operated by the Mysuru Division of the South Western Railway from Hassan to Shravanabelagola during the just-concluded Mahamastakabhisheka.
A release stated that 1,09,257 passengers were facilitated from Hassan station which resulted in an overall earnings of ₹45,71,591 between February 7 and 26 when special services were introduced.
S.G. Yathish, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, said in anticipation of the rush, the South Western Railway shored up passenger amenities at the Hassan station and they were well utilised.
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The SWR also ran special services during the Mahastakabhisheka and operated eight pairs of trains between Hassan and Yeshwantpur via Shravanabelagola.
In addition, one long distance special train was also pressed into service between Miraj and Hassan and one full tariff rate train was booked from Vatva in Gujarat to Mysuru and back.
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Ticket booking
The authorities said they also introduced 14 additional Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) counters along with eight automatic ticket vending machines and two coin-operated ticket vending machines.
There were four additional Passenger Reservation System counters at Hassan station to ensure a hassle-free ticket purchase and booking for pilgrims.
CCTV cameras
The Railway augmented the capacity of the waiting hall to accommodate 3,050 passengers as against the original capacity of 50 passengers only, and CCTV cameras were installed at stations along with watch towers on platforms and the station building to monitor the movement of the masses. To cater to medical emergencies, a 24x7 temporary medical dispensary was made available at the station premises with an ambulance and doctor available round the clock.