The railway Budget announced on Tuesday got a lukewarm response from Pune citizens, who had expressed hopes for better amenities at Pune Station, as well as better connectivity, particularly in the Pune-Mumbai sector. Responding to the citizens’ disappointment, divisional railway manager, Suneet Sharma revealed on Wednesday that plans had already been prepared for new projects that would tackle two major demands of the commuters.

Passengers had emphasised on the need for the addition of a third line in the Pune-Lonavla section, which connects the busy metro cities, Pune and Mumbai. File pic

Passengers had emphasised on the need for the addition of a third line in the Pune-Lonavla section, which connects the busy metro cities, Pune and Mumbai. When asked about this, Sharma responded, “The survey for the Pune-Lonavla line has already been completed, and work for the same is expected to begin soon after allocation of funds.” While presenting the Railway Budget on Tuesday, Railway Minister D V Sadananda Gowda had announced the installation of escalators at major railway stations across the country. At present, Pune Railway Station has one escalator situated beside the existing Foot over-bridge (FOB) near the ticket booking counters.

With plans in place to install four escalators and two additional battery-operated vehicles for differently-abled passengers, Pune Station will receive a passenger-friendly makeover of sorts, said Sharma. “Pune Railway Station will have four escalators, two on platform one, and two on platform six. We will start work for the same shortly. This will help the senior citizens to commute from one platform to another,” said Sharma, adding that the proposal had already been presented.