Demand to resume Pune-Daund shuttle train service

PUNE The demand to restart the Pune-Daund shuttle train service is growing after the Pune-Lonavla local train resumed service on October 12.

PUNE The demand to restart the Pune-Daund shuttle train service is growing after the Pune-Lonavla local train resumed service on October 12.

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As many as 10,000 passengers travel by the Pune–Daund shuttle Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) train, according to officials.

The “Daund Pune Daund Pravasi Sangh”, a group of daily passengers, on Tuesday, met Pune police commissioner Amitabh Gupta who is the nodal officer for train operations in Pune region and demanded resumption of the shuttle train service.

“There are around 10,000 people who are using the Pune-Daund train facility, including those in emergency services sector like government offices, semi-government, banks, police department, blood banks, hospitals and others. They face inconvenience due to lack of train service,” said Vikas Deshpande, secretary, Daund Pune Daund Pravasi Sangh.

“At the meeting on Wednesday, the Pune police commissioner assured us to talk to railway officials on restarting the train service,” he said.

Ganesh Shinde, a Daund resident who works at a bank in Pune and is a regular train passenger, said, “Many residents of Daund who work in Pune are facing issues due to unavailability of train service. I stayed at one of my friend’s house for two months during the lockdown so that I could go to office.”

“As the Pune-Lonavla local train service has resumed, I hope this shuttle service will also restart soon,” he said.

The DEMU train service between Pune and Daund was inaugurated in March 2017 by the then Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu. It is a 76 km train route and there are ten halts on the route – Hadapsar, Manjari Budruk, Loni, Uruli Kanchan, Yavat, Khutbao, Kedgaon, Kadethan, Patas and Daund.

The Pune-Lonavla train services can be availed by people working in the essential services.