Security beefed up at Rawalpindi Railway Station

Two parking areas allotted to contractor for facilitating passengers

RAWALPINDI: In order to ensure the safety of passengers and visitors, security arrangements have been enhanced at the Rawalpindi Railway Station while parking arrangements have been improved for facilitating the public.

Speaking to the media, Pakistan Railways Divisional Commercial Officer (DCO) Raza Habib explained that the parking contract of the station was awarded on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis to a private company who had invested over Rs3 million for upgrading the car park.



The entire area, he said, had been covered using 32 high-definition, closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) apart from installing floodlights. Moreover, three booths with imported computerised barriers have also been set up to ensure proper checking and to maintain records of all visitors including the driver, the number plate and the vehicle.

Armed police personnel have been deployed at the railway station to keep security situation in check, he added.

Ground surveillance cameras have also been installed to check vehicles, he added.

To a question, Habib said that Pakistan Railways in Rawalpindi had earned Rs1.86 billion during 2017 with around 4.256 million passengers travelling through the rail service.



He added that informed that Rawalpindi Railways earned Rs448.728 million through the freight trains while other heads contributed around Rs290.919 million last year.

Due to consistent efforts of the railway’s management, officers and workers, Pakistan Railways, Rawalpindi Division’s income had increased considerably, he added.

He said that a number of initiatives have been taken by the management to facilitate the passengers including e-ticketing and the duplicate ticket facility.

Further, two car parks had been allotted to a contractor to facilitate the passengers and visitors. He said that the railways would earn Rs2.15 million every year through this contract.

A special control room has also been set up where activities of the visitors are monitored round the clock, he added.

The DCO said that computerised card systems, such as those used on the motorway and the Islamabad Airport, would be introduced by the end of the month to facilitate visitors.

Vehicles are being charged Rs30 per hour and Rs60 for the whole day. Similarly, Rs20 per hour is the parking fee for motorbikes and Rs40 for the entire day.



To a question, he said, that the security of the railway station had been beefed up to ensure the safety of passengers with police in plainclothes assigned the task to check security and keep an eye on suspicious people. The deployment of cops was ensured to frisk the passengers entering the station.

He said that 16 CCTV cameras had been installed to ensure foolproof security of the passengers at platforms, while walk-through gates had also been installed at the entrance points.

To another query, he said that scanners were installed at the station to check luggage, parcels and other items booked for transportation to other cities of the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29^th, 2018.