In Pune, passengers who choose to travel by train, especially during festivals, are expressing dissatisfaction with the addition of general second class coaches. They believe this leads to overcrowding and discomfort during their commute. Arun Kumar Mishra, a senior citizen traveling from Pune to Darbhanga in Bihar, shared his experience of encountering ticketless travelers occupying the compartment he had a confirmed berth in. Mishra stated that some individuals even locked themselves in the toilet when the train departed, causing inconvenience to other passengers. Despite reporting the issue to the TTE and seeking assistance, Mishra found that fines were collected from the offenders instead of having them deboard. Following Mishra's complaint to Rail Madad, the unauthorized passengers were eventually removed at Ahmednagar. The increasing number of general second class coaches in trains, including special trains announced for the festive season by the Pune rail division, has raised concerns among passengers holding reserved tickets. Passengers fear that their berths might be taken by those with general tickets or no tickets at all. The Pune rail division is planning to add more general second class coaches to accommodate the influx of passengers during the upcoming festive period. Measures are being taken by ticket checking staff, officers, inspectors, and the Railway Protection Force to manage the rush and conduct thorough checks on tickets. This practice of unauthorized passengers entering reserved compartments has become a common issue according to some travelers.Rajesh Doshi, a Pune resident and regular train commuter, expressed concern about encountering numerous ticketless travelers during his recent trip on the Sinhagad Express. He mentioned witnessing one of them falsely claiming to be a railway employee to occupy a seat in the reserved compartment. He believes that the authorities are not handling this issue effectively.
Sagar Jadhav, who traveled on the Ahmedabad-Pune Duronto Express last week, shared his experience of finding his reserved seat in coach DL1 occupied by many people, leading to overcrowding and some passengers having to sit on the floor.
Travelers have been facing not only overcrowding on trains but also on platforms. In an attempt to improve crowd management and prevent overcrowding on platforms, Pune rail division officials announced plans to install temporary waiting sheds for passengers in April this year. Passengers have complained about the lack of seating, inadequate water facilities, and the absence of proper waiting areas at the station. The overcrowding on platforms was highlighted as a safety concern, with the potential for stampedes to occur due to the excess number of waiting passengers.
