The Central Railway (CR) has extended the trial runs with the push-pull method on Mumbai-Pune Intercity Express from Wednesday. The trial period, which started on May 31, will continue till June 26. Several regular passengers, who board the train at Karjat to go to Pune, are against the development as the train will not halt at Karjat as per the new system.
The CR has been conducting trial runs with the use of push-pull technology to cut down the travel time between Mumbai and Pune to a record two hours 35 minutes from the earlier run time of three hours 17 minutes. During the 15-day trial period, the train will depart from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus at 6.50 a.m. and is scheduled to arrive in Pune at 9.30 a.m.
The CR has implemented the technology on CSMT-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express.
The new technology involves placing one engine each at the front and back of the train and eliminates the need to have extra engines called bankers to negotiate the ghat section.
While the train had no scheduled halt at Karjat, it used to stop for around five minutes for the bankers to be attached to the train.
Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Committee member Nitin S. Parmar has criticised the railway’s move, saying its impact is being felt by over 350 passengers who commute every day to Pune. “People come from areas such as Neral and Panvel to catch the train from Karjat to go to Pune for work or to study. These commuters now have no recourse and a pattern that has been set over the years has been badly disrupted,” he said.
Mr. Parmar, who also travels every day from Karjat to Pune, said the other two trains that reach Karjat around that time are Indrayani Express and Vishakapatnam Express, both of which travel beyond Pune and are packed by the time they arrive at Karjat. “The CR should provide an alternative train or make some arrangement, otherwise we will have no choice but to agitate,” he said.