Pune rail division to start construction of permanent holding area for passengers

Pune: A permanent passenger holding area will be constructed just outside the Pune railway station to enhance passenger safety and mitigate chronic overcrowding, railway officials said.Senior railway officials confirmed that approximately 5,800 square metres of land behind the MSRTC Pune station bus stand has been identified for the project. It will be modelled after the facility at Delhi railway station. The construction is expected to begin within the next two months. This initiative follows a mandate from the Ministry of Railways to establish similar holding facilities at all major stations across the country by the end of the year."The facility will have the capacity to accommodate 10,000 passengers at any given time," said Hemant Kumar Behera, divisional commercial manager and PRO of the Pune rail division. "Our goal is to prevent overcrowding at the station's circulating areas and platforms to ensure there are no untoward incidents. The area will feature proper seating, drinking water, and other essential amenities. We aim to have it operational by the end of this year."The holding area will function as a pre-boarding zone, equipped with ticket counters, CCTV surveillance, security checkpoints, and digital display boards for real-time train information. Passengers will wait at the facility until their trains arrive, at which point they will be guided to the platforms in a regulated, orderly manner.The move comes as Pune station continues to struggle with massive crowd surges, particularly during festive seasons. At peak times, the station sees a high volume of travellers heading to northern states like Delhi, Bihar, and Jharkhand. Many passengers arrive several hours before departure, leading to dangerous congestion on platforms."If all passengers enter the platforms simultaneously, it creates a high risk of a stampede," another railway official said. "This facility allows us to supervise the crowd and ensure an orderly flow. Given the space constraints at Pune station, this is a critical safety intervention."Pune railway station currently handles between 1.5 lakh and 1.6 lakh passengers daily, a figure that jumps by over 40% during holidays. Currently, the railways rely on a makeshift holding area near the parcel office to manage the rush for high-demand trains like the Pune-Danapur Express and the Azad Hind Express, which are popular among general-class travellers.In the past, officials have had to suspend platform ticket sales and implement strict queuing to manage the rush. "A permanent facility will be a significant operational advantage," an official said.Discussions are also underway with the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) regarding the transfer of the bus stand land to the railways as part of a broader station redevelopment plan. In exchange, the railways have offered MSRTC land near the Maldhakka goods shed, about 300 metres away, where a modern, fully developed bus terminal would be constructed.