Festival rush triggers demand to run two trains to Pune regularly

Nagpur: With city not getting the proposed Nagpur-Pune Vande Bharat Express soon, the demand for regularizing Nagpur-Pune Express and Nagpur-Pune Garib Rath has increased.
Ahead of the festival season, passengers and rail users’ bodies want these two trains to be converted into daily trains to cater to the growing demand.

Presently, private bus fares from Nagpur to Pune are already between Rs1,100-2,000.These fares are expected to touch up to Rs2,500-5,000 during Diwali season. Despite the existing daily trains to Pune from Nagpur, there is a growing demand to increase the frequency of 12135-12136 Nagpur-Pune Express and 12113-12114 Garib Rath. Both these trains currently operate thrice a week and are popular among passengers due to their convenience.
Aman Mittal, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (SrDCM) of Nagpur Central Railway, says, “We have already sent a proposal to regularize both these trains to the Mumbai headquarters several times. However, the problem is at the Pune end where there is a lack of available slots to accommodate these trains as several trains arrive at Pune from other directions. We have already announced two AC special trains during the Diwali season to help ease the rush.”
However, Brij Bhushan Shukla of Rail Yatri Sangh says, “The rush towards Pune is huge and even these two special trains won’t be sufficient to fulfill the requirement. Thousands of students and executives from the region study and are employed in Pune. All these people return to their hometowns to celebrate Diwali with their families.”
Pravin Dabli, a former member of the Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Committee (ZRUCC), said, “Even after Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) and private bus operators pitch in to clear the Diwali rush by adding additional buses, there is no relief. If both Nagpur-Pune Express and Garib Rath operate on all weekdays, the congestion will be reduced to a great extent. The potential to Pune is such that daily 50 buses operate from Nagpur and all have no room. There are also no berths available in Pune-bound trains.”
Presently, Nagpur-Pune Express runs on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday while Garib Rath operates on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday. Similarly, 22142 Nagpur-Pune Hamsafar runs on Friday and 22124 Ajni-Pune on Tuesday. On Thursday, there is no direct train to Pune from Nagpur.
“The Bilaspur-Pune train which arrives on Thursday is already packed and there is less quota available. Increasing the frequency of Pune Express and Garib Rath is a justified demand. This will save passengers from paying exorbitant bus fares and make their journey convenient,” said Basant Shukla, general secretary of Bharatiya Yatri Kendra (BYK).