RPF writes to police regarding traffic chaos outside Pune railway station

A railway official said that getting stuck in traffic jams outside Pune railway station and at connecting chowks is among the chief reasons for passengers getting delayed in boarding

The Pune Railway Protection Force (RPF) has written to the traffic police department about the traffic congestion outside Pune railway station which is frequently delaying passengers and impacting train operations at peak hours.

Traffic outside Pune railway station on Thursday. (Pratham Gokhale/HT Photo)

B S Raghuvanshi, RPF senior police inspector at Pune railway station, said, “We have been working continuously for the past couple of years to reduce instances of alarm chain pulling (ACP) at Pune railway station. There is a growing tendency among passengers to pull the chain for reasons like luggage left outside, family member gone to get snacks or water, ticket left behind, or a family member/friend delayed in catching the train. This is especially true during summer vacations and it gets very difficult for railway operations. Passengers should understand their own safety and pull the chain only in case of a real emergency.”

A railway official on condition of anonymity said that getting stuck in traffic jams outside Pune railway station and at connecting chowks is among the chief reasons for passengers getting delayed in boarding trains. Sometimes, passengers carrying heavy luggage reach the station on time but are delayed finding their way in due to the chaos outside. “So, we have written to the Pune traffic police department requesting them to help us in monitoring the traffic and taking action against vehicles and auto-rickshaws standing in front of the station gate,” the official said.

The traffic situation is so bad that there has been an increase in the number of unnecessary alarm chain pulling (ACP) instances at Pune railway station in the last one year. With summer vacations almost here, there is a heavy rush of passengers on all routes and even if one member of a family/group gets delayed in boarding the train, the remaining members do not stop to think before pulling the chain. Currently, nearly 230 train operations are carried out from Pune railway station which has a footfall of over 2 lakh passengers, daily.

Nilay Oza, a passenger, recalled, “Two months ago, we had to board a train to Ahmedabad and we were stuck in traffic outside Pune railway station. Thanks to the auto-rickshaw drivers outside the station who don’t follow any traffic rules, we had to catch the train running…”

A senior traffic police officer on condition of anonymity said, “We often take action against auto-rickshaw drivers and other passenger vehicles standing outside the station but since they too come to pick up passengers, we can’t do much about it.”