Manmad Express extended up to Bhusawal, commuters caught unawares, miss train

With the Pune-Nashik-Manmad Intercity Express being extended till Bhusawal, several commuters have been facing inconvenience as they claim that they were not informed of the changes. On Sunday, over a hundred passengers missed the train and were forced to use alternative services.

"Passengers from outside the city areas usually reach the station in advance. They were able to catch the train but city commuters who reached the station at the usual timing missed it. There were around 80-100 passengers who had to take other modes of transport. Others had to change several trains to reach their destination," said Harsha Shah, president, Railway Pravasi Group.

The train's new route and timings came into effect on Friday. The Up train (11026) will leave Pune at 11.45 am and reach Bhusawal by 10.10 pm. The Down train (11025) will leave Bhusawal 12.25 am and reach Pune at 12.05 pm.

Y K Singh, railway spokesperson, said the authorities had published the timing change in the newspapers.

Meanwhile, there has been a mixed response among the commuters about the change. Some said that it would be useful for passengers from Bhusawal and neighbouring areas. Also, Pune passengers wishing to go to Mumbai will be able to travel on the train till Kalyan. At present, there is no Pune-Mumbai train in the afternoon hours.

Others, however, disapprove of the "odd timings and the long route" of the train.

Shah said, "The journey for the current route (Pune Lonavala-Panvel-Kalyan-Bhusawal) takes around 11 hours. If the route is changed to Pune-Daund-Nagar-Manmad-Bhusawal, it would hardly take seven hours. This way, it would be convenient for commuters," said Shah.

She also questioned the timing of the train. "It will leave Bhusawal at 12.25 am. It is bound to run empty at such an odd hour. It would be in the interest of commuters if the train departs from Pune and Bhusaval in the morning," said Shah.

... contd.

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