Mysuru Dasara railway arrangements have been expanded with additional security personnel, surveillance cameras, help centres and ticketing facilities to manage the festival passenger rush, a South Western Railway official said on Friday.
Girish Dharmaraj Kalagonda, divisional commercial manager of the South Western Railway’s Mysuru division, said preparations had been made to ensure safe, smooth and comfortable travel during the Dasara period. The measures are aimed at managing passenger movement and reducing crowding at Mysuru railway station.
The Mysuru division recorded 3.10 lakh passengers during the first five days of Dasara this year, generating ₹3.11 crore in ticket revenue, Kalagonda said at a press conference. During last year’s Dasara period, 6.95 lakh passengers travelled through the division, with an average daily footfall of 69,523 and ticket revenue of ₹5.43 crore.
In 2024, the division recorded 7.41 lakh passengers, or an average of 67,423 passengers a day, according to the figures shared by the railway official. The numbers indicate the scale of the seasonal demand placed on the railway station and associated passenger services during the festival.
The railway has deployed 70 staff members, along with more than 150 personnel from the Railway Protection Force and the Government Railway Police, for crowd control and security. Thirty-nine closed-circuit television cameras are being used to monitor passenger movement and support security operations.
Three ‘May I Help You’ assistance centres have also been established. Two are located near the station’s entry and exit areas, while the third is operating at Platform 6. The centres are intended to guide passengers and provide assistance inside the station.
The Mysuru division has sought 15 additional personnel from the Bengaluru and Hubballi divisions to support ticket counters and ticket inspection. Scouts and Guides will also assist with passenger guidance and crowd management. A total of 27 travelling ticket examiners are being deployed, and staff have been provided walkie-talkies to improve coordination.
The railway said escalators would be kept operational and maintained for continuous use. To reduce congestion around the booking area, an existing refreshment room is being used to accommodate passengers. Eight automatic ticket vending machines have been installed near the main entrance, along with four mobile unreserved-ticketing facilities.
The arrangements focus on managing crowd movement at the station while expanding access to ticketing and passenger assistance. Railway authorities said the measures would support operations during the Dasara travel period, when passenger volumes rise across the Mysuru division.
