The Pune railway division has completed 315 kilometres of protective fencing along the Lonavla-Pune-Daund route as part of a broader safety overhaul, officials said on Friday.
According to information from the railways, the fencing drive, launched this year, was originally planned to cover about 327 kilometres of track. With 315 kilometres already in place, only around 13 kilometres of work remains, and railway officials say that stretch is now in its final phase. The entire fencing initiative is estimated to cost around ₹250 crore.
Hemantkumar Behra, Pune railway division spokesperson, said, “The completion of 315 kilometres of fencing has already made rail travel noticeably safer, and the remaining work is being pushed through on priority. Fencing will continue to be extended to other locations where it’s needed.”
The urgency behind this push became painfully clear in August, when a bull wandered onto the tracks and was struck by the Panvel–Nanded Express near the Hadapsar-Loni stretch. The impact sent the animal crashing into a pole carrying the overhead electric (OHE) cables, dislodging it and triggering a fault in the electrical system. Rail traffic was thrown into disarray for several hours as a result.
According to officials, 16 secure subways are planned specifically to give citizens, cattle, and light vehicles a safe way to cross without ever setting foot on the rails. Work is already underway at 14 such locations, and the “box casting” stage, a key structural phase, has already been finished at seven of these.