Several deadlines missed, Pune’s Hadapsar terminal likely to be ready by December 2024

The project was first envisaged in 2013 to resolve the congestion at Pune railway station and was sanctioned in 2016. The project was to be completed in March 2020 but the deadline was missed owing to a funds crunch. The administration later said that the project would be completed by March 2023.

Officials have cited issues of encroachment and land acquisition for the slow progress of the project.

Meanwhile, the project cost has escalated manifold. When sanctioned in 2016, the estimated budget for the project was Rs 24 crore. By 2019, it was increased to Rs 34.71 crore and by 2021, to Rs 43 crore. Officials now say that the project will be completed at a cost of Rs 135 crore.

The Indian Express visited the site to find that while the work on the extension of the platforms to host 24 coaches is complete, the promised infrastructure and amenities are yet to come up. Recently, a building was torn down to make space for the redevelopment. Workers at the site said that they started work about a month ago.

The legal procedures for the acquisition of half a hectare of private land are under process and will be completed soon, officials said, adding that the new terminal will be a three-storey building.

“Essential services like lifts, foot-over bridge and food stalls which are now there in Pune station will also be available in Hadapsar in the three-storey building. Booking counters, restrooms and other requirements for the railway staff members will also be redeveloped. Railway Protection Force (RPF) will be provided with a new building in the station,” an official said.

The traffic congestion at Pune railway station has been cited as the major reason for not granting new trains from Pune to destinations in the southern and northern parts of the country.