Train services in and around Pune are set to be disrupted on Sunday, September 13, as Central Railway’s (CR’s) Pune division will undertake a nine-hour, special traffic-and-power block at Pune yard for the upgradation of track infrastructure. The block will be undertaken from 8 am to 5 pm to replace DDS point numbers 228 (I) and 226 (III) and upgrade the layout from the existing 52KG to 60KG.
As per the information shared by the railways, platform number 1, the UP main line, and the DN main line from the CSMT end will be unavailable for train movements. The restrictions are expected to affect suburban and long-distance services, with several trains cancelled and others to terminate at or originate from intermediate stations.
Among the services cancelled on September 13 are the Pune-Talegaon and Talegaon-Pune suburban trains (99902 and 99903); Pune-Lonavla suburban (99818), Lonavla-Shivajinagar suburban (99817); CSMT Mumbai-Pune, and Pune-CSMT Mumbai Express (11007 and 11008); and Pune-Daund DEMU (71407). The railway administration has also announced short-termination of several incoming trains. The Jaipur-Pune Express (12940) will terminate at Khadki; while the Nagpur-Pune (12136), Amravati-Pune (11406) and Jammu Tawi-Pune Express (11078) will all terminate at Hadapsar. The CSMT Mumbai-Pune Express (12127) will terminate at Khadki; while the Lonavla-Pune suburban (99813) will terminate at Shivajinagar; and the Baramati-Pune DEMU (71406) at Daund. Furthermore, several trains departing from Pune will originate from intermediate stations. The Pune-Lonavla suburban (99820) will originate from Shivajinagar; while the Pune-Jaipur Express (12939) will depart from Khadki at 5.35 pm. The Pune-Nagpur Express (12135) will originate from Hadapsar at 5.45 pm; and the Pune-CSMT Mumbai Express (12128) will depart from Khadki at 5.55 pm.
“Such infrastructure blocks are essential for carrying out track, signalling and OHE works safely and efficiently. The work will help improve the reliability and safety of train operations at Pune yard. Passengers are requested to check the latest running status of their trains before leaving for the station and plan their journey accordingly,” said Hemant Kumar Behera, Pune railway division spokesperson.
{{/usCountry}}“Such infrastructure blocks are essential for carrying out track, signalling and OHE works safely and efficiently. The work will help improve the reliability and safety of train operations at Pune yard. Passengers are requested to check the latest running status of their trains before leaving for the station and plan their journey accordingly,” said Hemant Kumar Behera, Pune railway division spokesperson.
{{/usCountry}}The disruption is likely to inconvenience passengers travelling between Pune and Mumbai as well as those using suburban services towards Lonavla, Talegaon and Daund. “Sunday is an important day for many people travelling for work, shopping and family commitments. Cancelling multiple trains and terminating others before Pune will create difficulties, particularly for passengers who may not be aware of the changes,” said Manish Gujarati, a passenger travelling on the Pune-Mumbai route.
Another passenger Geetanjali Sharma said that the railways should ensure that information about cancellations and short-terminations reaches passengers well in advance. “Passengers need clear information about where the train will terminate and how they can continue their journey. Those travelling with elderly people and children could face considerable inconvenience if they reach Pune expecting the train to operate normally,” she said.
Railway officials have advised passengers to check the latest running status of their trains and the revised schedules before commencing their journey through the Indian Railways enquiry portal or the official NTES application. The railway administration has expressed regret over the inconvenience and said that the infrastructure work is necessary to improve the future safety and efficiency of train operations at Pune yard.