A promise that made train commuters smile

Disclosing the proposal to The Indian Express earlier this month, Divisional Railway Manager D K Jain had said a Pune-Lonavala local train every 15 minutes during selected hours was a possibility. But the plan hinges on DC direct current to AC alternate current conversion project they have undertaken between Lonavala and Pune.

8220;If the project is completed by the set deadline of March 31, we would be in a position to implement the one-local-every-fifteen-minutes plan,8221; he had said, much to the delight of students, office-goers and industrial workers, who find local trains faster, cheaper and more convenient than buses.

But commuters want more. 8220;Why not one local train every five minutes? If one every 15 minutes is possible, this is also possible8230;if there is will to implement it,8221; says Harsha Shah and Kanubhai Trivedi, who heads two different commuter organisations.

Ever since the local train service was introduced between Pune and Lonavla in 1978, there has been no change in the frequency.

8220;The thousands of vehicles on the roads cause jams, create pollution and lead to accidents that take hundreds of lives. All this can be stopped if frequency of local trains is increased as promised by the railways,8221; says Shah.

Many people are not happy with the morning schedule of local trains. Trivedi says they benefit few students and office-goers. 8220;Because of the longer duration between two local trains, people reach office late and students miss their classes,8221; he said.

The Central Railway is determined to increase the frequency of trains as planned. The plan is ready and the required assistance is being sought from Mumbai.

The Central Railway is also planning to set aside one platform at Pune railway station for the exclusive use of local trains to ensure commuters do not have to run around.

Also, tickets will be made available at the counter on R B Road to ensure they don8217;t have to vie for space with long-distance travellers.