Pune: PMC has begun preliminary work to widen the approach roads to the Hadapsar railway terminus, aiming to ease passenger access and relieve severe traffic congestion. The administration announced that all underground utilities, feeder boxes, and electric poles will be shifted on priority to clear the way for the project.The civic body will spend Rs1.45 crore on utility-shifting work. Simultaneously, marking for road widening in the station area has also begun.The railway administration is developing the Hadapsar railway station into a terminus to operate long-distance trains. However, railway commuters remain unhappy with the ongoing inconvenience caused by poor basic facilities around the station. The primary complaints pertain to narrow access roads and absence of adequate space for autorickshaw and PMPML bus stands near the station.Nilesh Raskar, a resident of Mundhwa area, said previously only local trains and shuttles halted at Hadapsar station. Now, that long-distance trains terminate there, footfall has surged, but the infrastructure remains insufficient. The existing roads to the station are so narrow that PMPML buses cannot navigate them easily. Further, a lack of parking spaces makes dropping off or picking up passengers a major challenge.Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) chief Naval Kishore Ram visited the terminal site last month to discuss plans to improve road access to the railway station. Ram directed officials from the road development, special projects, and other relevant departments to prioritise infrastructure upgrades in the Hadapsar railway station area.Utility shifting proposed for Shastrinagar grade separator workThe civic administration has also initiated the tendering process to appoint an agency to shift underground utilities near Shastrinagar Chowk, where work on a grade separator has already begun. PMC plans to allocate approximately Rs1.54 crore for this project. The grade separator is being constructed to ease traffic congestion at the busy intersection.
