In Pune, travelers opting for train journeys, especially during festivals, are expressing concerns about the addition of general second class coaches leading to overcrowding and discomfort. Arun Kumar Mishra, a senior citizen traveling from Pune to Darbhanga in Bihar, shared his unpleasant experience on a recent journey. Despite having a confirmed sleeper class berth ticket, he found the compartment dominated by ticketless travelers or those holding general tickets. Mishra recounted an incident where passengers had locked themselves in the toilet, delaying the journey until the train conductor intervened. Instead of asking them to leave, fines were collected, and they were allowed to continue. Following Mishra's complaint to Rail Madad, the unauthorized passengers were eventually removed at Ahmednagar. As Pune rail division introduces more special trains for the upcoming festive season, passengers holding reserved tickets are worried about losing their berths to passengers without valid tickets in the increased general second class coaches. Ram Paul Barpagga, the public relations officer with Pune rail division, mentioned that additional general second class coaches are being added to accommodate the festive rush. Staff members are on high alert to ensure proper ticket checks and control the situation. Unauthorized entry into compartments has become a common issue, according to some passengers.Rajesh Doshi, a frequent train commuter from Pune, shared his recent experience on the Sinhagad Express where he encountered several ticketless passengers. One of them even pretended to be a railway employee to claim a seat in the reserved compartment. Rajesh expressed his concerns about the lack of proper handling of this issue.

Similarly, Sagar Jadhav traveled on the Ahmedabad-Pune Duronto Express last week and found his reserved seat in coach DL1 occupied. The coach was overcrowded, with people even sitting on the floor, highlighting the problem of overcrowding in trains.

The issue of overcrowding is not limited to trains but also extends to platforms, posing challenges for passengers. To address this, Pune rail division officials had planned to introduce temporary waiting sheds on the premises in April to improve crowd management and prevent overcrowding on platforms. Passengers have reported insufficient seating, limited water facilities, and inadequate waiting areas at the station, leading to overcrowded platforms and raising concerns about the risk of potential stampedes.