Unlike the current makeshift arrangement, the new facility has been designed as a three-part system – pre-ticketing, ticketing and post-ticketing zones – meant to streamline passenger movement and prevent the kind of bottlenecks seen during peak rush. (File Photo)Pune railway station, which handles an average daily footfall of 1.72 lakh passengers, sees this number cross the 2 lakh mark during the festive season – a surge that has repeatedly overwhelmed the station’s existing infrastructure during Diwali, Chhath and other peak travel periods. To address this recurring crunch, the Pune railway division is building a permanent passenger holding area, expected to be ready by December this year.The facility is coming up on a 5,800 sq m railway land near the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus stop outside Pune station, replacing a temporary holding area near the station’s parcel office that officials say has become inadequate given the rising passenger numbers.“An average daily footfall of around 1.72 lakh passengers travels through Pune railway station, and during the festive season, like Diwali and Chhath, it crosses the 2 lakh mark. To accommodate this rising footfall, the construction of a permanent holding area is underway and is likely to be ready by December this year,” Hemant Kumar Behera, Divisional Commercial Manager and PRO, Pune Division, told the Indian Express.Unlike the current makeshift arrangement, the new facility has been designed as a three-part system – pre-ticketing, ticketing and post-ticketing zones – meant to streamline passenger movement and prevent the kind of bottlenecks seen during peak rush.The pre-ticketing zone will house a booking office and automatic ticket vending machines (ATVMs), while the ticketing and post-ticketing zones will have adequate seating. “Once ticketed, passengers will move through a regulated post-ticketing zone towards the platforms, a design meant specifically to reduce congestion during high-traffic festive periods,” Behera explained.The holding area will be equipped with a public announcement system, train display boards, telecom infrastructure, toilets and drinking water points, along with security scanners, ticket counters, a CCTV network, a firefighting system and a rooftop solar power setup. About 580 sq m in front of the building has also been earmarked exclusively for passenger drop-off, pick-up and pedestrian movement, to keep the approach to the holding area itself free of congestion.The project is being executed alongside the dismantling of the station’s existing parcel office and the construction of a new one, part of the broader Pune station decongestion plan. According to data shared by the Pune railway division, Rs 22.13 crore has been sanctioned so far for the development of the permanent holding area and foundation work for the project is underway.Story continues below this adHowever, passengers urged to speed up the project, “Every year during Diwali and Chhath, the crowd at Pune station spills out onto the road outside; there’s barely any space to stand, let alone sit and wait. If this holding area is ready by December, it’s already going to miss the first wave of festive travel, since the rush usually begins from October itself. The authorities should try to get at least the basic facilities functional before that,” said Varsha Jadhav, a Wakad resident who frequently travels from Pune station.Shubham Kurale is a journalist based in Pune and has studied journalism at the Ranade Institute. He primarily reports on transport and is interested in covering civic issues, sports, gig workers, environmental issues, and queer issues. X:@ShubhamKurale1 ... Read MoreClick here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories