Railway passengers want the Pune-Daund section to be designated as a suburban section
Railway Division says have presented the proposal before the Central Railway Board.
The Pune-Daund passengers characterized the Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) as a stopgap measure and have asked the Railway administration to move quickly on a long-standing proposal to designate Pune-Daund as a suburban section.
Demands from passenger groups
State Consultative Committee (SCC) Member for Pune Division Abhishek Sonavale said in an interview recently that the MEMUs operating recently on the Pune-Daund section are merely a stand-in for the Diesel Electric Multiple Units (DEMU) undergoing routine maintenance at Matunga, Mumbai. Aside from this, MEMU is not a long-term fix for our problems. Resuming Pune-Daund suburban EMU local services is a long-term solution.
“MEMU/DEMU have no ladies, first class, divyang, luggage coaches and don’t have enough speed to cover the distance, causing inconvenience to daily passengers,” stated Pramod Ubale, Executive President of Pune Gramin Railway Pravasi Group. Securing a seat on this route is difficult for female passengers because D/MEMU lacks a ladies’ compartment. Unlike M/DEMU, trains would not be stopped to allow express trains to pass after the introduction of EMU. Local trains travel this route very infrequently, and they are frequently insufficient for a major rush. The EMU trains on this route will save more than 50,000 travelers time every day.
Passengers also report that regular commuters between these stations expressed dissatisfaction and called for the introduction of Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trains after the Railway administration began operating a Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) train between Pune and Daund on May 13, 2024.
The Railway Board has put the proposal to designate Pune-Daund as a suburban section on hold since June 2023. The proposal incorporates the requirement to initiate Suburban EMU local services in the relevant section, essentially necessitating suburban status.
Passengers were hopeful about receiving an EMU in Daund after the Railway Board decided to include 24 stations, including Daund Junction, from the Solapur Division to the Pune Division. With effect from April 1, this decision combined these stations under the Pune Division.
As MEMU will only be operational for one month, many commuters who travel from Daund to Pune for work or study have expressed dissatisfaction over the fact that it is not a long-term solution.
The reply from Pune Railway Division
A Pune Railway Division official stated: “DEMU has been sent to Mumbai for routine maintenance every 18 months. Thus far, we have been utilizing MEMU from the Bhusawal Division. The Railway Board has been notified of the Pune-Daund EMU proposal.
