Chaos at Yavat Railway Station: Pune-Baramati Demu Train Diverted, Passengers Navigate Through Goods Trains

Pune, 5th March 2024: Due to alleged poor management by the Pune Division of Railways, passengers faced a challenging situation at Yavat Railway Station. The Pune-Baramati Demu train had to be diverted to the main line as both platforms were occupied by goods trains. This led to passengers, including elderly individuals, women, and children, having to navigate through the yards of freight trains to reach the platform. The incident occurred around 7:45 pm the previous day, causing inconvenience to the passengers.

On Monday, the Pune-Baramati Demu Railway witnessed heavy crowding. The train departed from Pune railway station at 7:57 am. Yavat Station, equipped with two platforms, faced a hurdle as goods trains occupied both platforms. Despite the presence of stairs at Yavat, passengers were unable to reach it due to the blockage caused by the goods trains. Many passengers took risks by climbing over the coupling between freight trains to access the platform.

In the dark, some passengers even had to navigate around the entire length of the freight train to reach the station. The situation proved particularly challenging for women, children, and elderly passengers. Fortunately, no freight trains started moving during this time, preventing a potential major accident. Understandably, passengers expressed their frustration and demanded strict action against those responsible for the mismanagement.

Vikas Deshpande, a member of the Regional Advisory Committee of Railways, criticized the Railway administration, accusing them of jeopardizing passengers’ lives through irresponsible behaviour. He emphasized the need for a thorough investigation into the matter and urged the Railways to take stringent action against those found guilty.

Vikas Deshpande has registered a complaint with Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav concerning the challenging situation at Yavat railway station. In response, the Divisional Railway Manager has issued an apology and assured that such incidents will not recur. The manager further pledged to take appropriate action against those responsible for the mismanagement. This information was conveyed to Deshpande through a written response to his complaint.

Passengers who regularly commute between Pune and Baramati via the Demu Railway shared their grievances. They highlighted that their train from Pune to Yevat was halted on the main line instead of the platform. Consequently, passengers had to disembark from the Demu carriage without the aid of steps and navigate through the goods trains along both sides of the platform to reach their destination. Approximately 20-25 passengers, holding valid passes, submitted a written complaint to the Yavat Station Master. In response, the driver of the goods train left the scene as his duty time had concluded. The incident has sparked concerns among commuters, and the assurance of corrective action by railway authorities has been met with relief.