Pune: Come Dec, a permanent, state-of-the-art passenger holding area is likely to be ready at Pune station.The facility, being developed as part of the railway ministry’s initiative to establish dedicated passenger holding areas at important railway stations, would be equipped with facilities aimed at managing crowds efficiently, particularly during festive and peak travel seasons. It will come up on a 5,800sqm railway land parcel near Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC)’s Pune station depot-cum-bus station.“The passenger holding area’s work is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The facility will have several passenger amenities. The idea is to hold passengers in the area until their train arrives,” Hemant Kumar Behera, divisional commercial manager and PRO, Pune railway division, told TOI.At present, the railway creates a temporary holding area near the station’s parcel office during rush periods. But it is proving inadequate as passenger footfall at Pune station crosses 1.4 lakh a day during the festive season.The permanent facility would be divided into three zones — pre-ticketing, ticketing and post-ticketing — to streamline passenger movement. Around 580sqm in front of the holding area would be earmarked for passenger drop-off, pickup and pedestrian movement.The pre-ticketing zone will include a ticket booking office and automatic ticket vending machines (ATVMs). The ticketing and post-ticketing zones will have adequate seating arrangements.Railway officials said the facility would have train display boards for passengers. “Telecom facilities, including a public announcement system for disseminating train and passenger information, will be available. Toilets and drinking water facilities will also be provided. The entire area will be monitored through CCTV cameras,” another railway official said.“A key feature will be the controlled movement of passengers from the post-ticketing zone towards the platforms. Officials said this will help prevent the mixing of passengers entering the station with those exiting it, reducing confusion and congestion during peak periods,” the official said.Passengers said the facility should have been completed earlier. “The festive season starts from Oct. The railway authorities should have thought about it and started the construction much earlier so that its completion coincided with the upcoming festive season,” Jitin Kolhe, a regular passenger, said.
