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The Pune Railway Division has forwarded a proposal to the Railway Board to expand Pune station by adding four new platforms and to provide stoppages for five express trains at stations other than Pune. According to a DRM official of the Pune Division, these new platforms will be constructed in Maldhakka region on Pune railway land.
To address train detention and congestion at Pune station, the Pune Division has initiated a plan to expand the platforms and facilitate express train halts at four additional stations, along with Pune station. This plan will be integrated into the station’s remodelling project if it gets approved.
Currently, Pune railway station has six platforms with no available space for expansion. However, Indu Rani Dubey, the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Pune Division, said that there is ample land in the railway’s Maldhakka area. The Pune Railway Department plans to facilitate this expansion through pedestrian bridges.
“Once the proposal is approved, we will begin implementing the plan. It has been sent to headquarters and will then be forwarded to the Railway Board,” she said.
She added that the proposal is different from the remodelling plan of the Pune station but if the plans get finalised, it will be included under the remodelling plan. “Till now, it is just a proposal, but there is ample land towards the Mumbai direction at the Railways’ Maldhakka premises. The proposal was passed after a plan was plotted and examined to determine its feasibility.”
The proposal also includes facilitating stoppages for five express trains—Azad Hind, Jammu Tawi, Jhelum, Sinhagad, and Pragati Express—at additional stations listed in the proposal.
According to information from the DRM, the proposal was initiated given the daily traffic of around one lakh passengers at Pune station. “This will decongest the traffic for passengers,” she said. As per the information, trains heading towards Daund will stop at Hadapsar, while those heading towards Mumbai will stop at stations such as Shivajinagar, Chinchwad, and Talegaon. This initiative aims to address the inconvenience faced by commuters from both East Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Currently, these express trains start and terminate at Pune, causing passengers from suburban regions of Pune to converge at Pune station. If the proposal is approved, it will help resolve congestion issues and alleviate commuter inconvenience.
