14 August,2014 01:15 AM IST | | Anuj Ismail
After complaints from commuters over several years, the new trains will operate between Pune and Lonavla, increasing frequency on the route
Railway station
If everything goes as per the plans chalked out by the Pune railway division, by 2015 it will have three new local trains. The proposal for procurement of these trains from the Mumbai division has been pending since 2009.
Still waiting: Commuters say new trains will reduce the waiting time, which can currently be as long as 45 minutes. File pic
Currently, the Pune division operates four local trains that make 44 trips between Pune and Lonavla - 22 trips each way. While the first local leaves Pune at 4:45 am, the last one departs at 12:10 am.
On average, 10,000 to 15,000 commuters use the local trains daily.
Yogendra Kumar Singh, PRO for Pune railway division, said, "We have four trains and each comprises 12 coaches. Adding more coaches won't help us cater to the need of the passengers. Therefore we requested for three additional rakes and the demand is pending since 2009."
He added that once the Mumbai division procures new trains, the additional ones would be sent to the Pune division. But Singh refused to give a specific date for procurement of trains from the Mumbai division.
Singh said, "Besides, we also want to commence the work of laying the third line on the Pune-Lonavla route, and install an automated signalling system to reduce human errors. As of now, the signals are being managed manually at each station."
Harsha Shah, president of Railway Pravasi Group, said, "The number of trains should be increased from four to 20, only then will the frequency of the local trains will increase."
