In Pune, passengers who choose to travel by train, especially during festivals, are concerned about the increased number of general second class coaches causing overcrowding and discomfort during their commute. Arun Kumar Mishra, a senior citizen traveling from Pune to Darbhanga with a confirmed sleeper class berth ticket, shared his experience of encountering unauthorized travelers occupying the compartment and even locking themselves in the train toilet. Despite efforts by other passengers to resolve the situation, Mishra had to seek assistance from the TTE at Daund station to address the issue. Instead of asking the unauthorized passengers to disembark, fines were collected and they were allowed to continue their journey until Mishra reported the incident to Rail Madad, resulting in their removal at Ahmednagar. With the Pune rail division introducing additional special trains for festive season travel, passengers holding reserved tickets are concerned about the risk of their berths being taken by those with general tickets or without tickets. Ram Paul Barpagga, the public relations officer of the Pune rail division, explained that the number of general second class coaches is being increased in anticipation of the festive rush, allowing passengers with general tickets to access these compartments. Strict measures, including heightened ticket checks by staff and security personnel, have been implemented to manage the situation. Unauthorized entry into compartments by passengers without tickets has unfortunately become a common occurrence according to some travelers.Rajesh Doshi, a resident of Pune who frequently commutes by train, expressed concerns about the presence of ticketless travelers on the Sinhagad Express where he had a reserved compartment. He noted that one individual pretending to be a railway employee occupied a seat. Similarly, Sagar Jadhav, who recently traveled on the Ahmedabad-Pune Duronto Express, found his reserved seat in coach DL1 already occupied by others, with some passengers even sitting on the floor due to overcrowding.

In addition to the issue of overcrowded trains, overcrowding on platforms has also been a problem for travelers. In efforts to improve crowd management and prevent overcrowding on platforms, officials from the Pune rail division announced plans to set up temporary waiting sheds for passengers. Passengers have lamented the lack of adequate seating, water, and waiting areas at the station, which has led to platforms becoming excessively congested and potentially unsafe, with the risk of stampedes occurring.