Pune: The Pune Lonavala local train will resume its operations from October 12. The decision has been taken by Pune police and railway authorities. For now, the local train service can be availed only by persons who are engaged in essential services. These passengers will be required to have a police pass with a QR code for travelling in the local train.
- The Pune Lonavala local train will leave the Pune station for Lonavala at 8.05am and 6.05pm every day
- The local train will depart from Lonavala to Pune station at 8.20am and 5.05pm every day
All safety measures including social distancing will be followed by railway authorities. The police pass will cover all the personal details required for travelling such as to and fro locations. These QR code based passes will be scanned at entry gates to verify the authenticity of the traveller.
Guidelines for passengers
– QR code based police pass is mandatory for passengers
– State and central government employees, Bank employees, hospital staff and other personnel engaged in essential services can avail the local train service
– All concerned passengers should visit www.punepolice.in website and apply for the mandatory pass
– Letter from the office, Identity Card, Photo and fitness certificate should be attached while applying for pass
– Pune Municipal Corporation will arrange for thermal screening of passengers
The local train service was closed for almost six months. The service was halted due to the lockdown imposed in the state in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak. The state government had recently issued guidelines for Unlock 5.0 phase. In this phase, the local train service has been allowed to resume operations.
On the lines of Mumbai suburban trains, the government has also allowed to restart the local train services from Pune city. Pune Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta has been appointed as the nodal officer for this purpose. Accordingly, Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta along with other senior police officials and the railway division officials met for discussing this issue. These officials had two meetings regarding this issue.
After deliberating on all aspects, the officials came up with a time table for the local train service. Pune Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta told media persons that, “The Pune Lonavala local train will leave the Pune station for Lonavala at 8.05am and 6.05pm every day, while the train will depart from Lonavala to Pune station at 8.20am and 5.05pm every day.