The battery-operated scooters will help the RPF to keep an eye on every corner of the railway stations. | Photo Credit: BCCL

Mumbai: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel were equipped with segways, two-wheeled, self-balancing and battery-powered electric vehicles this Republic Day. The Western Railway provided six segways to the officials deployed at major railway stations in Mumbai. The battery-operated scooters will help the RPF to keep an eye on every corner of the railway stations.

Ravinder Bhakar, chief public relations officer of Western Railway said that the segways would help the RPF personnel to patrol each and every corner of the railway stations, especially long platforms. Bhakar, while speaking to the Indian Express, said that this is the first-of-its-kind initiative by the Indian Railways. The RPF has been provided with six segways and five more are expected to be given in the coming weeks.

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Reportedly, the battery-powered vehicles would be used at Mumbai Central, Churchgate, Bandra Terminus, Borivali and Andheri stations for crowd control and patrolling the stations. Segways are already being used by the officials deployed at Marine Drive in south Mumbai for patrolling on the promenade. The officials are being trained to ride the scooters.

The Railway Board had decided to provide the scooters to officials deployed at 19 busy stations across India in December last year. The decision was aimed at preventing mishaps like the Elphinstone stampede in September 2017. The move to introduce these scooters was taken after considering the rapid extension of platform area on the stations. The segways would increase the mobility of the security staff allowing them to provide timely assistance to commuters seeking their aid.