Rail commuters want more local trains up to Talegaon

PUNE: Regular commuters of Lonavla bound local trains have demanded more local trains during rush hours. The commuters have said that the administration should plan the trips at every half hour during mornings and evenings besides at least two additional trips of trains up to Talegaon.
Dhananjay Bhalerao, a regular commuter, said that the administration should plan additional trips between two slots --- 7am to 9am and 6pm to 8pm --- to clear the heavy rush.Additional trips can be introduced between Shivajinagar and Talegaon which is the busiest route, he said.
Vaishali Rane, another commuter, said that additional trains will benefit the college students who otherwise travel by road because of poor frequency of local trains. By road, it takes more time to reach Akurdi from Shivajinagar. Also, travel in train is much cheaper than bus, she said.
The railway administration at present operates about 44 trips of local trains between Pune and Lonavla in one day with a frequency of one hour. There has been long pending demand of commuters to increase frequency of local trains and provide dedicated track and terminus at Pune station for local train operations. Commuters have also demanded that 15-coach trains be introduced instead of existing 12-coach rakes.