Pune Junction railway station

Pune Junction railway station (station code: PUNE) is the main railway junction of the city of Pune, India. It is one of the major railway junctions in Maharashtra. Pune Junction consists of 6 platforms. It also has a suburban train network.

Pune Junction

Poona Junction
Indian Railways and Pune Suburban Railway station
Gandhi Statue Entrance
General information
LocationHH Prince Aga Khan Road, Agarkar Nagar
Coordinates18°31′44″N 73°52′27″E / 18.5289°N 73.8743°E / 18.5289; 73.8743
Elevation560 metres (1,840 ft)
Owned byIndian Railways
Line(s)
Platforms6
Tracks8
Connections
Construction
Structure typeat-grade
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesYes
Other information
Station codePUNE
Fare zoneCentral Railway zone
History
Opened1858; 166 years ago (1858)
Rebuilt27 July 1925; 99 years ago (1925-07-27)
Electrified3 February 1925; 99 years ago (1925-02-03)
Passengers
200,000
Services
Preceding station Pune Suburban Railway Following station
Shivajinagar
towards Lonavala
Lonavala Line Terminus
Preceding station logo of Pune Metro Pune Metro Following station
Out-of-system interchange
Mangalwar Peth
towards Vanaz
Aqua Line Ruby Hall Clinic
towards Ramwadi
Location
Pune Junction is located in Maharashtra
Pune Junction
Pune Junction
Location within Maharashtra
Pune Junction is located in India
Pune Junction
Pune Junction
Pune Junction (India)
Map
Interactive map

It has two accesses, from HH Aga Khan Road on the south and Raja Bahadur Mills Road on the north. Pune Police and Central Reserve Police Force serve the station.

History

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The first passenger train in India ran on 16 April 1853 on the track laid by the Great Indian Peninsula Railway from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai to Thane. The GIPR line was extended to Kalyan in 1854, then on the south-east side to Khopoli via Palasdari railway station at the foot of the Western Ghats in 1856. While construction work was in progress across the Bhor Ghat, GIPR opened the KhandalaPune track to the public in 1858. The Pune railway station opened in 1858. The Bhor Ghat incline connecting Palasdari to Khandala was completed in 1862, thereby connecting Mumbai and Pune.[1] The present Pune railway station building was built in 1925.

The Pune–Raichur sector of the Mumbai–Chennai line was opened in stages: the portion from Pune to Barshi Road was opened in 1859, from Barshi Road to Mohol in 1860 and from Mohol to Solapur also in 1860. Work on the line from Solapur southwards began in 1865, and the line was extended to Raichur in 1871.[2]

The Southern Mahratta Railway (SMR) completed the metre-gauge Vasco–Guntakal railway line along with the branch from Londa to Pune via Miraj in 1890. The Pune–Londa main section was converted from metre-gauge to 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge in 1971.[3]

Electrification

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Railway electrification in India began with the first electric train, between Bombay Victoria Terminus and Kurla, by the GIPR on 3 February 1925, on 1.5 kV DC. The Kalyan–Pune section was electrified with a 1.5 kV DC overhead system in 1930.[4]

The previously used 1.5 kV DC was converted to 25 kV AC on 5 May 2013 from Kalyan to Khopoli and Kalyan to Kasara.[5] Conversion from 1.5 kV DC to 25 kV AC on the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Thane–Kalyan section was completed on 12 January 2014.[6] The CSMT to LTT section was converted from 1.5 kV DC to 25 kV AC on 8 June 2015.[7][8] The Kasara–Pune section was also converted from 1.5 kV DC to 25 kV AC in 2010.[9]

The Pune–Daund–Bhigwan section was electrified in 2017.[10]

The Pune–Miraj section is being electrified as of 2020.[11]

Diesel Loco Shed, Pune

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SN Locomotives HP Quantity
1. WDM 3A 3100 2
2. WDG-3A 3100 20
3. WDM-3D 3300 19
4. WDP-4D 4500 24
5. WDG-4/4D 4000/4500 90
6. WAP-7 6350 35
7. WAG-9 6120 21
Total Locomotives Active as of July 2024[12] 211

Infrastructure

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This station has three footbridges with a skywalk. Elevator service is available on the footbridge. Plans are being made to upgrade the station to greater standards.[13]

As a protection against the coronavirus, Central Railway's Railway Protection Force has deployed a robot, 'Captain Arjun', to screen patients and enhance security surveillance at the station.[14] Its electronic eyes are useful for screening passengers during boarding. The robot will help protect passengers and rail staff from infection in addition to performing security maintenance. The robot is equipped with motion sensors, one pan-tilt-zoom camera and a dome camera, which uses artificial intelligence to track suspicious or anti-social mischief makers in the station.[14] Recently, Indian Railways has also launched its first food truck at the Railway station.[15] It is maintained by the Quick Service Restaurant brand Jumboking. In addition to this, there are 14 food stalls which are currently functional at the Pune Railway station as per IRSDC.[15] These are located at different parts of the station and platforms. Other amenities in the station include waiting halls, dormitories, retiring rooms, cloak rooms, book stalls, health kiosks, pay and use toilets, SBI credit card kiosks, ATMs, water vending machines, pay and park and many others for the convenience of passengers.[15] Facility management at the station is facilitated by The Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDC). As part of its modernisation and beautification of the station, IRSDC is taking various initiatives and measures to upgrade facilities in and around the railway station. Some of these are undertaken in collaboration with leading third-party vendors.

Maldhakka Goods Yard

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Maldhakka is the freight depot of the Pune Railway Station and consists of two railway sheds. All freight trains are loaded and unloaded at this depot. The entrance to the goods yard is situated at Maldhakka Chowk.[16][17]

Power

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The station is powered by a solar power plant and emergency diesel generators. The 160 kWp solar power plant generates around 2.4 lakh units (kWh) annually. Funded by Persistent CSR, Sunshot built the plant in June 2016. This project was replicated for the Hyderabad Deccan railway station.[18]

Diesel Loco Shed

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There is a diesel locomotive shed located near the Ghorpuri railway station, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) away from Pune station. It is one of three diesel sheds that belong to Central railway and the largest of the three.

Services

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Pune railway station serves as a stop for southbound trains from Mumbai, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. It also serves as a stop for northbound trains from Goa and Karnataka. The station is a major hub for freight transportations

The following major trains start from Pune Junction railway station:

Suburban railway

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The Pune Suburban Railway operates on a single route, Pune Junction to Lonavala and its part, Shivajinagar to Talegaon. There are 15 trains that operate on the Pune–Lonavala route and 3 trains that operate on the Shivajinagar–Talegaon route.

There are eight DEMU trains that operate between the Pune Junction and Daund station. This section is electrified and is planned to be included into suburban rail.

The chances of starting DEMU services between Pune and Ahmednagar stations are increased as 24 stations of Daund-Ankai section will be merged with the Pune Rail Division. Currently Daund-Ankai section is under Solapur Rail Division. Merging with Pune Division will increase the chances of starting DEMU services between Ahmednagar and Pune railway station.[19]

Future

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There are plans to increase service in the MumbaiPune section,[20] lay additional track between Pune and Lonavala, increase the budget for track surveys[21][22][23] and construct separate terminals for suburban trains.[24] There are also proposals to construct a new EMU terminal. It would be situated to the west of the existing station and have three lines and three platforms.[25] The chances of starting demu services between pune and Ahmednagar stations are increased as 24 stations of daund-Ankai section will be merged with pune Railway division. Currently Daund-Ankai section is under solapur railway division. Merging with pune division will incarese the chances of starting demu services between Ahmednagar and pune railway station.[19]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "IR History: Early Days – I : Chronology of railways in India, Part 2 (1832–1865)". IRFCA. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  2. ^ Chronology of railways in India, Part 2 (1870–1899). "IR History: Early Days – II". IRFCA. Retrieved 3 December 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ "Central Railways sanctions Rs 125 cr for Pune-Satara line | Kolhapur News - Times of India". The Times of India.
  4. ^ "Electric Traction I". History of Electrification. IRFCA. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  5. ^ "From May 5, faster Central Railway with AC power" Times of India (30 April 2013). Retrieved on 2013-07-16.
  6. ^ "Soon, faster trains on Kalyan-LTT route" The Times of India (13 January 2014). Retrieved on 2014-06-11.
  7. ^ "Central Railway plans DC/AC switch in May" The Times of India (25 March 2014). Retrieved on 2014-06-11.
  8. ^ "DC to AC conversion on Mumbai's Central Railways rail route completed". The Economic Times. Mumbai: PTI. 8 June 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  9. ^ "Central Railway / Indian Railways Portal".
  10. ^ "Pune–Daund local brings respite for daily commuters". Pune Mirror. 18 January 2017. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  11. ^ CORRESPONDENT, ST. "'Track electrification by Dec 2020'". The Bridge Chronicle. Retrieved 10 March 2023. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  12. ^ "Railway Website Mechanical Department". Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  13. ^ "World-class Pune station via public-private route". The Times of India. 19 December 2010. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  14. ^ a b Bhandari, Shashwat (13 June 2020). "Pune railway station installs a Robot to scan passengers | Watch". www.indiatvnews.com. IndiaTV. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  15. ^ a b c Devanjana, Nag (13 November 2020). "Attention train passengers! Indian Railways launches its first food truck at Pune railway station". The Financial Express. Financial Express. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  16. ^ "24 pc of unorganised sector workers malnourished: survey". The Times of India. Pune. 10 April 2009. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  17. ^ "Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Pune City" (PDF). Pune Municipal Corporation. Pune. November 2008. p. 56. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  18. ^ www.ETEnergyworld.com. "NCPA installs Mumbai's largest private solar project – ET EnergyWorld". ETEnergyworld.com. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  19. ^ a b Bengrut, Dheeraj (3 November 2021). "Pune railway division area to increase, 24 stations to be added". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  20. ^ "Chamber seeks hourly Pune–Mumbai trains". Indian Express. 3 February 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  21. ^ Survey may lead to better frequency of local trains
  22. ^ "Rail Budget Plans for Maharashtra". Sakaal Times. Archived from the original on 19 March 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  23. ^ "Nashik–Pune railway project may be on track finally". The Times of India. 1 March 2012. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  24. ^ DNA Correspondent (1 August 2011). "Separate terminal on cards for suburban trains at Pune station". DNA India. Retrieved 17 August 2014. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  25. ^ "Pune railway division proposes new EMU terminal". The Times of India. 30 October 2009. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
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