Tirupati station now boasts of battery-operated segways, which are self-balancing ‘hover-board’ scooters for RPF officials. At the Tirupati railway station of the South Central Railway (SCR) zone, the railway protection force (RPF) officials will now be able to respond quickly in order to address the safety and security needs of passengers on the platform. CH Rakesh, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), SCR zone told Financial Express Online that Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman, Railway Board formally inaugurated three battery-operated segways or two-wheeled ‘hover-board’ scooters during an inspection of the Tirupati railway station. The RPF officials will be able to move swiftly from one end of the platform to the other by using the battery-operated segway for attending to the urgent distress calls of passengers.
According to the SCR zone, the three battery-operated segway (two-wheel scooters) have been procured for the RPF personnel at a cost of Rs 75,000 each. The benefits of the battery-operated segways are as follows:
- The segways will facilitate the RPF personnel deputed at the Tirupati railway station as they will be able to move quickly on a linear surface, from one end of the platform to another.
- Makes it easier for RPF to attend several distress calls of passengers at the platforms and also the Indian Railways employees.
- Beneficial for handling theft complaints at the station. With the battery-operated segways, the mobility of the RPF personnel will increase manifolds and the visible policing will also be enhanced.
The need to increase the security and vigilance at the Tirupati station arises because it is a major railway station of the SCR zone where more than 70-75 passenger trains operate on a daily basis. The station has a total of five platforms measuring approximately 600-700 metres in length. This keeps the station extremely busy with a passenger footfall of one lakh on a daily basis. The Tirupati station has also been proposed to be redeveloped on the public-private partnership (PPP) mode, with the construction of three more platforms. The redevelopment program of the station calls for an immediate need to enhance the vigilance and policing, for which the RPF officials have been facilitated with the new two-wheeled segways.