PUNE: The Central Railway (CR) has finally conceded to demands to replace the diesel electric multiple unit (DEMU) rake with conventional rake for Pune-Daund service during the peak hours. The passengers greeted fellow passengers with flowers on Monday.

Passengers, commuters’ groups, activists as well as elected public representatives were pressing for the demand for several months, claiming the DEMU rake does not have the capacity to accommodate all the passengers’ during rush hours.

“The decision has brought relief to the passengers, especially women and elderly, who were suffering in the rush hours. All passengers are very happy. We greeted BK Dadabhoy, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Krishnath Patil, Senior Divisional Commercial Railway Manager (SDCM) with flower bouquets on Monday morning,” said Premsukh Kataria, President, Pune-Daund Commuters Association.

On July 7, a group of passengers led by Zonal Railway Users Committee Vikas Deshpande had also staged a sit-in protest at the Pune Division Headquarters.

The commuters were demanding a local service between Pune and Daund for years. Barely a month after the DEMU service was started, they had raised issues about it. They claimed that the service was insufficient and ill suited to cater to increased traffic during peak hours.

PERMISSION FROM HQ
Divisional Railway Manager for Pune BK Dadahoy said that they have received permission to ply a conventional rake during morning and evening hours. This means that as demanded by the passengers, the service that starts from Daund for Pune at 7:05 am and the one which departs from Pune at 7:45 pm for Baramati will use conventional rake and not the DEMU rake.