Pune railway station sets up a separate waiting area and extra RPF cover for the Diwali–Chhath rush; platform ticket sales to stop if crowds grow

Diwali this year runs from 5 to 11 November, and the main day of Chhath Puja is Sunday, 15 November. News reports expect the station to stay busy for about a month, with people heading to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and towns across Maharashtra. Central Railway's Pune division has therefore set up a holding area at Pune station, away from the platforms. Passengers with confirmed tickets can go straight to the platforms; those who are waitlisted or have unreserved tickets are to wait in the holding area until their train is due. The division says platform ticket sales will be stopped if the crowds grow.

What has been arranged at Pune station

• The holding area: it is on the platform 1 side of the station, near the ST bus stand. Reports describe the spot variously as next to the parcel office, beside the VIP room or near the VIP siding, so ask station staff for the exact place when you arrive.
• Facilities: seating, lights, fans, drinking water and toilets. Boards show the arrival and departure times of the festival special trains, and extra staff have been posted to guide passengers.
• Who goes to the platform: confirmed-ticket holders go straight through. Waitlisted and unreserved passengers will be let onto the platform in an orderly way when their train is due, and kept in the holding area if the train is late.
• Queues: barricades and a queue have been set up on platform 1 for trains to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.
• Security: a nodal officer has been appointed for the station. Additional Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel, security guards and senior officials are on duty, security will be in place round the clock, and the number of RPF personnel is to be increased further.
• Ticket counters: the station has 9 booking windows and 18 automatic ticket vending machines (ATVMs), and the division plans to add more for the festival period.

"If the crowds grow, the sale of platform tickets will be stopped," said Hemantkumar Behera, Divisional Commercial Manager and public relations officer of the Pune division. As of 23 October we had not found an announcement of dates for such a restriction. Last year the division restricted platform ticket sales at Pune station from 17 to 25 October 2025; people accompanying senior citizens, sick passengers, children and others who could not manage on their own could still buy them.

How busy the station is

Pune station has six platforms. Figures given in news reports put the daily load at 117 originating trains, 279 trains passing through and about 1.9 lakh passengers. According to a Navarashtra report of 20 October, the temporary holding area for Diwali covers about 2,000 square metres (around 21,500 sq ft) and can seat 3,500 people at a time. The same report says a permanent passenger holding area of 5,800 square metres is planned next to the ST bus stand, with work to begin by December 2026. These figures did not appear in the other reports.

Special trains from Pune, Hadapsar and Khadki

A report on 12 October put the number of festival special services from Pune, Hadapsar and Khadki at 256, with trains to Gorakhpur, Ghazipur City, Nagpur, New Amravati, Hazrat Nizamuddin and Sanganer. Timings and dates for these trains are in our Diwali travel story (link below). The Hadapsar–Muzaffarpur unreserved specials announced after that are:

• Hadapsar–Muzaffarpur (01481): leaves Hadapsar at 7.55 pm every Tuesday from 20 October to 24 November. The return train (01482) leaves Muzaffarpur at 1.15 pm every Thursday from 22 October to 26 November.
• Hadapsar–Muzaffarpur (the Monday train): leaves Hadapsar at 7.55 pm every Monday from 19 October to 23 November, returning every Wednesday at 1.15 pm from 21 October to 25 November. One report gives this pair's numbers as 01453/01454 and another as 04153/04154, so check the number on the NTES app before you travel.
• Both run with Amrit Bharat coaches. The general second-class coaches are unreserved and charge normal mail/express fares; unreserved tickets are sold through the UTS system, at the counter or on the mobile app. Sleeper-class booking opened on 18 October.
• These trains start from Hadapsar, not Pune station. Check your ticket to see whether your train leaves from Pune, Hadapsar or Khadki.

Some general advice for travellers

The tips below are My Maharashtra's own general advice, not railway orders.

• Buy unreserved tickets in advance on the UTS or RailOne app so you don't lose time in the counter queue.
• If your ticket is waitlisted, stay in the holding area until your train is announced. An e-ticket that is still fully waitlisted after the chart is prepared is cancelled automatically, and you cannot travel in a reserved coach on it.
• On the busiest days, avoid going onto the platform just to see relatives off; platform ticket sales can be stopped at any time.
• Keep children and elderly family members close. Agree on a meeting point in case you get separated, and put a note with a phone number in children's pockets.
• Travel light. Don't cross the tracks; use the foot overbridge, and never board or get off a moving train.
• Stay away from touts who promise a confirmed ticket. Buy tickets only from IRCTC, the RailOne app or a railway reservation counter.
• Check your train's time and platform on the NTES app before leaving home, and follow station announcements and instructions from RPF staff.

Where to get help

• Railway helpline 139: one number for security, medical help, enquiries and complaints.
• RailMadad: complaints can be filed at railmadad.indianrailways.gov.in or through the RailOne app.
• At the station: approach RPF personnel, the railway staff on duty or the enquiry counter.

Sources: Pudhari (shelter next to the parcel office, 18 October); Navarashtra (size of the holding area, 20 October); Navarashtra (holding zone and platform tickets, 22 October); Prahaar (arrangements at the station, 22 October); Free Press Journal (2025 platform ticket restriction); The Bridge Chronicle (256 services from Pune, Hadapsar, Khadki, 12 October); Punekar News (Hadapsar–Muzaffarpur trains, 17 October); Patna Press (Hadapsar–Muzaffarpur trains, 19 October); Drik Panchang (Chhath Puja 2026, Pune); RailMadad (Indian Railways)

Also read: Diwali special trains and extra ST buses; Diwali 2026: all the dates and timings