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Railways write to traffic police about congestion outside Pune railway station
Kumar added that the railway administration has requested the traffic police to closely monitor the area and take action against vehicles and autorickshaws illegally parked in front of the station entrance
The Pune railway division has raised serious concerns over persistent traffic congestion outside the main entrance of Pune railway station, warning that the situation is directly impacting train operations and passenger safety. Divisional railway manager (DRM) Rajesh Kumar has formally written to the Pune traffic police, seeking stricter traffic regulation and enforcement near the station premises, particularly at busy chowks and along approach roads.
DRM Kumar said, “One of the major reasons passengers get late to board trains is traffic congestion, especially along the station road and connecting chowks. Many passengers carrying heavy luggage reach close to the station on time, but it takes several minutes to clear the traffic outside the gate.”
Kumar added that the railway administration has requested the traffic police to closely monitor the area and take action against vehicles and autorickshaws illegally parked in front of the station entrance. “Such obstructions severely affect passenger movement and train operations,” Kumar said.
The Pune Railway Protection Force (RPF) too last week wrote to the Pune traffic police highlighting the daily congestion outside the station chowk. The RPF noted that traffic jams near the station entrance are increasingly impacting train punctuality as delayed passengers panic and pull the emergency chain to stop trains for their relatives or friends who are stuck outside.
Passengers expressed frustration over the situation.
Anil Mane, a daily commuter, said, “I reached close to the station almost 20 minutes before my train but the traffic jam outside the gate was so bad that I barely managed to get inside. People with luggage suffer the most.”
Another passenger, Sunita Oza, said, “The chaos outside the station is stressful. I have seen people pull the chain because their family members were stuck in traffic. Better traffic control outside the station will help everyone.”
A senior traffic police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged the issue and said action is taken regularly against vehicles obstructing traffic outside the station. “We do take action against auto drivers and other passenger vehicles standing outside the station. However, many of them return repeatedly to pick up or drop passengers and do not bother much about penalties,” the officer said.
Pune railway station currently handles around 250 train operations daily, with an average footfall of over two lakh passengers. With such a high volume, even minor disruptions can have a cascading effect on the entire train schedule, officials said.
