Pune in brief
Pune railway station, officially Pune Junction (station code PUNE), is the main station of Pune, Maharashtra's second-largest city. It is administered by the Central Railway zone and heads the Pune division. Around 200,000 passengers use it every day, on trains to Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi and across India, as well as on suburban trains to Lonavala.
The story of Pune
Pune joined the railway map early. In 1858 the Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR) opened the line from Khandala to Pune to the public, and the station opened the same year. This was part of the effort to cross the Western Ghats and link the Deccan plateau with Bombay.
The present station building dates from 1925 and remains one of the city's recognisable landmarks.
Home of the Deccan Queen
Pune's most famous train is the Deccan Queen, introduced on 1 June 1930 between Pune and Bombay. It is named after Pune's popular nickname, the Queen of the Deccan. The train set a remarkable list of firsts. It was India's:
- first superfast train
- first long-distance electric-hauled train
- first vestibuled train
- first train with a women-only car
- first train with a dining car
The Deccan Queen still runs daily over the 192 km to CSMT Mumbai in about 3 hours 10 minutes, and keeps its dining car. Every year on 1 June, regular passengers, railfans and railway staff celebrate the train's birthday at Pune Junction, a tradition unique among Indian trains.
Platforms at Pune
The station has 6 platforms on 12 tracks and sits about 560 metres above sea level, on the Deccan plateau.
Services from Pune
- Deccan Queen to Mumbai CSMT
- Pragati Express to Mumbai
- Pune–Secunderabad Shatabdi Express
- Long-distance trains towards Bengaluru, Chennai, Howrah and Delhi
Departure times for the Deccan Queen, Pragati and the Secunderabad Shatabdi are in our timetable search.
Links around Pune
- Pune Metro Aqua Line: Pune Railway Station metro station.
- Suburban rail: around 15 local trains run on the Pune–Lonavala route.
- Road: city buses, autorickshaws and app cabs.
Deccan Queen country
- For the Mumbai–Pune journey, the ghat section between Karjat and Lonavala is one of the most scenic stretches of railway in Maharashtra, especially in the monsoon.
- Pune also has other stations, including Shivajinagar and Hadapsar; check the code on your ticket.
- On 1 June each year the platform hosts the Deccan Queen's birthday celebration; expect cake, crowds and railfans.