Finally, this kicks off!
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Electrification of Pune-Daund railway route to start today
Central Railway Authorities Expect Work To Be Completed In Two-And-A-Half Yrs
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The much-awaited electrification work on the Pune-Daund-Bhigvan railway route will finally start when general manager of Central Railway Subodh Jain formally inaugurates the project at Loni station on Friday. The railway administration plans to complete the work over the next two-and-ahalf years.
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The electrification will help run electrical multiple unit (EMU) rakes on the Lonavla-Pune-Daund section, which would come as a huge relief to the thousands of commuters on this stretch who otherwise use long distance or passenger trains. It’s a daily struggle for these commuters as these trains do not stop at small stations.
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The electrification work of Lonavla-Pune section was completed during the British rule. While the electrification of Pune-Daund-Bhigvan section was approved five years back, it could not start for lack of funds and completion of other technical formalities regarding approval of loan.
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The Pune-Daund-Bhigvan route is part of the Pune-Solapur rail link. Railway officials said here on Thursday that the project includes electrification on a section of 104 km. While the Pune-Daund section is 76 kilometers long, Daund-Bhigvan section is 28 km long. The total cost of the project, which is funded by the Asian Development Bank, is Rs 161.90 crore.
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The project will be implemented by state-run enterprise -- Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL). The process of issuing tenders for various works under the project has already been started.
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The rail route electrification on this section is expected to give a major boost to the improvement of railway services in Pune region. There was an increasing demand from the industrial sector as well as from local citizens for electrification of Pune-Daund section. Even the Central railway authorities had said that the electrification of the route was top priority for railways.
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The railway authorities said that besides starting suburban local trains on Lonavla-Pune-Daund route, the electrification would also help reduce congestion in Pune station. The authorities said, “In the present situation, when a long distance train reaches Pune station, we replace its electric engine with diesel engines as the Pune-Daund track is still not electrified. We will not have to do this exercise after the electrification of the route. This will save time and effort.” Almost all long distance trains that travel to destinations in southern and northern directions run via Pune-Daund rail route.
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According to the railway administration, around 15,000 to 20,000 commuters travel on Pune-Daund section every day. The administration runs about 20 passenger trains on this route. In addition to these passenger trains, commuters also travel in long distance trains up to Daund. The major halts on this route include Hadapsar, Loni, Uruli, Yevat, Kedgaon, and Patas. Commuters have been demanding more dedicated trains on Pune-Daund section as long distance trains are full most of the time and do not halt at smaller stations.
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Sachin Bhujbal, a resident of Hadapsar said that there is a necessity to strengthen rail network on Pune-Daund section. He pointed that new townships and residential projects are coming up in villages like Loni, Hadapsar, Uruli in a big way. Rail network would play major role to connect these villages to bigger cities like Pune and Daund. Most people travel in their own vehicles as they find the present rail network weak and they can shift to rail travel, if the administration provides good rail infrastructure, said Bhujbal.
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The Pune-Daund-Wadi-Guntkal electrification work received a major boost in the 2009-10 railway budget, when additional fund was sanctioned. The plan includes two major works —electrification of the Pune-Daund-Bhigwan rail route and doubling of Bhigvan-Guntkal route, which would be completed at an estimated cost of Rs 1,437 crore.
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Track Facts
>Pune-Daund-Bhigvan total distance: 104 Kms t Pune-Daund: 76 Kms
>Daund-Bhigvan: 28 Kms
>Estimated period for completion of work: 30 months
>Total estimated cost: Rs. 161.90 crore
>Will help run local services on Lonavla-Pune-Daund section
>Will help avoid change of engines at Pune station