E-Paper
Pune railway division to adopt Japanese model for rail maintenance
Under this system, trains arriving at Pune railway station will primarily cater to passenger boarding and alighting whereas cleaning, maintenance and repair activities will be shifted to a dedicated facility—in this case, Alandi.
Pune:
The Pune railway division plans to adopt a Japanese-style operational model by setting up a new coach depot at Alandi railway station on the Pune-Satara route at an estimated cost of ₹97 crore. The proposed facility will be equipped to handle the daily maintenance and repair of around 100 coaches, including modern LHB (Linke Hofmann Busch) coaches and Vande Bharat Express rakes. The proposal is currently under consideration of the railway board and is expected to receive approval soon.
According to railway officials, the move comes on the back of rising land costs in Pune and limited availability of space at the main station. Under this system, trains arriving at Pune railway station will primarily cater to passenger boarding and alighting whereas cleaning, maintenance and repair activities will be shifted to a dedicated facility—in this case, Alandi. At present, cleaning, maintenance and repair activities are carried out at the Ghorpadi Coach Maintenance Complex (GCMC) near Pune station. Currently, around 300 coaches are serviced daily at the GCMC, which is already operating under considerable pressure. With the number of trains originating from Pune expected to increase, the load on the facility will only increase further. The proposed Alandi depot is expected to ease this burden and improve overall operational efficiency.
Hemant Kumar Behera, spokesperson of the Pune railway division, said, “The proposed development at Alandi includes a full-fledged coach terminal along with a modern maintenance depot, and the proposal is currently under active consideration by the railway board. We are optimistic about receiving approval soon. The project has been planned with a long-term vision, keeping in mind the rapid growth in train operations from Pune and the increasing pressure on existing infrastructure. By shifting cleaning, maintenance and repair activities away from the main station to Alandi, we aim to decongest operations and improve efficiency. The new depot will support advanced coaches such as LHB and Vande Bharat, while ensuring faster turnaround time for trains.”
As per the plan, the Alandi facility will have three maintenance pit lines of 600 metres each, along with two stabling lines for parking trains. Coaches will be serviced on the pit lines, while trains will be stationed on the stabling lines. A separate sick line will also be developed to isolate and repair defective coaches detached from train formations.
