In Pune, passengers traveling by train, especially during festivals, are concerned about the increased number of general second class coaches causing overcrowding and discomfort. Arun Kumar Mishra, a senior citizen journeying from Pune to Darbhanga in Bihar, shared his experience of sharing a sleeper class berth with ticketless travelers and those holding general tickets. Mishra reported instances of passengers locking the toilets from inside, causing inconvenience to others. Despite raising the issue with the Train Ticket Examiner (TTE), Mishra observed that fines were collected instead of removing the unauthorized passengers. Following Mishra's complaint to Rail Madad, the unauthorized passengers were finally removed at Ahmednagar. With the Pune rail division introducing special trains for the festive season, passengers holding reserved tickets are concerned about losing their seats to those without tickets or with general tickets. Ram Paul Barpagga, the public relations officer with the Pune rail division, mentioned that additional general second class coaches are being added to cater to the increased demand, leading to more unauthorized passengers gaining access to reserved compartments. The rail authorities have heightened vigilance and ticket checks to combat this issue, as unauthorized entry into compartments has become a common occurrence according to some passengers."I recently traveled on the Sinhagad Express in a reserved compartment and noticed several passengers without tickets. One person falsely claimed to be a railway employee to occupy a seat," mentioned Rajesh Doshi, a resident of Pune who regularly commutes by train.

Sagar Jadhav, who traveled on the Ahmedabad-Pune Duronto Express last week, shared, "Although I had a reserved seat in coach DL1, the entire coach was overcrowded with passengers, with some even sitting on the floor."

Crowding on both trains and platforms has been a persistent issue for travelers. In April of this year, officials from the Pune rail division mentioned plans to establish temporary waiting shelters on the premises to improve crowd management and prevent overflows onto platforms. Passengers have complained about insufficient seating, limited access to water, and inadequate waiting areas at the station.

These conditions have caused platforms to become excessively crowded, raising concerns about potential stampedes and risks to passenger safety.