Passengers demand Suburban Local train from Pune to Daund, seek attention from Railway authorities 

For the past several years, the commuters of Pune to Daund railway line have been demanding to run a suburban EMU local, but this demand has not yet been granted. In the year 2018, all commercial, technical works have been completed which is required to run suburban local services on the Pune to Daund railway line, but even after 2024, there is still no movement for operating local here.

Railway administration is taking advantage of the fact that no public representative is ready to speak on this and even the former & existing MP has not even once raised the issue in Parliament for granting “Suburban status to Daund” in all these years and is reluctant to run Pune – Daund local.

The working class from Daund and suburbs come to Pune for work, students for education, milk and vegetable businessmen come to the city to deliver milk, vegetables and travel daily between Pune and Daund for hospital, bank and other work but this traveling class is facing a lot of hardship.

In 2023 Central Railway Headquarters sent a proposal to the Railway Board to declare all railway lines from Uran to Kharkopar (Port Line), from Panvel to Karjat and Pune to Daund as suburban sections but Uran to Kharkopar and Karjat to Panvel railway lines have been approved as suburban sections. A local service was launched from Uran to Kharkopar in January 2024.

Due to the fact that Railway Board has not declared Pune to Daund railway line as suburban, the angry passengers, students, citizens, business people are asking that when will the Pune Suburban Local be expanded ? The railway board is expanding suburban local only in Mumbai but what about Pune ?

City buses (Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited) are coming to this place from Kedgaon, Varvand and the frequency is also available but at this place the railway administration should make it clear what is the difficulty in running the suburban local to Daund.

“Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) limits are up to Varvand/Kedgaon railway station and the distance from Kedgaon to Daund is 20 km and Daund is an urban area and in the coming time Daund will also be declared as a Metropolitan region and as far as Varvand (Pune Metropolitan Transport Corporation) Limited) buses will come up to Daund in the near future as well, then the Railway Board should clarify Daund as a Suburban and make it clear what is the difficulty in running local services,” informed Abhishek Sonavale, SCC Member, Pune Railway Division.

“When we approach the Headquarters & Divisional office the railway administration always gives invalid reasons EMU rakes are not available on Central Railway to run local to Daund, The platform is not available at Pune station, it is said that local running is not possible due to traffic between Pune and Daund. Then the railway administration should explain how the EMU rakes are being made available to run from Uran to Kharkopar and the new suburban section from Panvel to Karjat, ” said Akshay Tekawade, SCC Member, Pune Railway Division.