New Delhi: Indian Railways is planning to seal stations just like airports. Passengers would have to arrive 15-20 minutes before scheduled departure of trains to complete the process of security checks.

The security plan - with high end technology - has already been put in motion at Allahabad, in anticipation of the Kumbh Mela which begins this month, and is also in effect at Hubballi railway station in Karnataka with a blueprint for 202 more stations ready for implementation, Railway Protection Force Director General Arun Kumar told PTI.

"The plan is to seal the railway stations. It is primarily about identifying openings and to determine how many can be closed. There are areas which will be closed through permanent boundary walls, others will be manned by RPF personnel and yet others will have collapsible gates.

"At each entry point there will be random security checks. However, unlike at airports, passengers need not come hours in advance, but just 15-20 minutes ahead of their scheduled departure to ensure that they are not delayed because of the security process," he said.

Kumar said that while security will increase, presence of security personnel will not.

"If we are inventive in technology, then manpower requirement will reduce," he said.