Rail budget: Commuters seek better connectivity to Mumbai

“We are expecting that at least one train would be introduced for office-goers who commute daily on Pune-Mumbai section. Two more tracks should be added to the existing two between Lonavala-Pune and electrification should be carried out between Pune-Daund that was announced in the last budget,” said Hemant Tapale,president,Pune-Mumbai Railway Pravasi Sangh.

He said he expects more funds to be allotted for the maintenance of the existing trains and for infrastructure development. “In the last railway budget,Pune-Mumbai Indrayani Express was extended till Solapur but it is not maintenance is carried out and there is acute water shortage in the train. The train has not been washed for the last three months,” said Tapale.

“The current capacity of Pune station is 10 lakh but it should be developed to accommodate 35-45 lakh people because the number of commuters in the emerging IT/Auto hub has increased immensely over the years. Pune railway station is being operated at its fullest capacity as 31 trains originate and terminate at Pune Station while 123 trains pass through Pune Station. So two new terminal be set up in Pune-Lonavla Section and Pune-Daund Section near Pune Station,” said Chandmal Parmar,chairman of MCCIA’s railway,road traffic management committee.

The increase in the volume of passenger traffic to and from Gujarat,Rajasthan and Kerala is very high and various citizen groups had demanded new trains on these routes.

“It is necessary to make Poorna Express a daily (at present,the train operated once a week) considering the commuters requirements.