Commuters using the Pune Metro service up to Shivajinagar can now breathe a sigh of relief as the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha Metro) acknowledges and addresses the longstanding confusion arising from the absence of direction boards. This comes nine months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the service on August 1, 2019. While the service has been operational for quite some time, many commuters have expressed surprise at the lack of action regarding proper signage.
The Problems at the Civil Court Station: One of the major sources of confusion was the Civil Court station in Shivajinagar, particularly for passengers arriving from Pimpri and headed towards destinations such as Garware College. This confusion persisted for months, with many commuters feeling lost and frustrated due to the absence of Metro staff to guide them. However, recent changes at the station have addressed this issue. The Civil Court station now features two large direction boards, each measuring around 4 ft tall. These boards display clear directions to the escalators leading to Ramwadi or Vanaaz. Additionally, boards indicating directions such as “Towards PCMC” are now visible upon descending the escalator. These improvements have greatly helped ease the confusion for passengers at the station.
The Challenges at Other Stations: Apart from the problems at the Civil Court station, commuters using other stations also faced inconveniences. Many passengers found it difficult to determine which side their vehicle was parked on when exiting any station between Pimpri and Shivajinagar. This often led to unexpected expenses, as those who realized they were on the wrong side had to pay an additional fee to cross over. Another issue pointed out by commuters is the small size of the direction boards at the exit and entry points. Passengers claim that the boards are too small, forcing them to get extremely close in order to read them. This has raised questions from Metro users about why the Metro cannot afford larger boards, which would be more visible and easier to read.
Further Enhancements and Assurances from Maha Metro: Shravan Hardikar, the managing director of Maha Metro, assured commuters that the efforts to enhance commuter-friendliness are ongoing. He stated that the installation of direction boards and other measures will soon be completed to further address the issues faced by the passengers. Maha Metro’s acknowledgement of the problems and their efforts to rectify them indicate a positive step towards improving the overall commuting experience for Pune Metro users. With the direction boards now being installed at most locations and a commitment to completing these installations throughout the entire Metro system, it is expected that the confusion and inconvenience will soon be a thing of the past. Overall, this marks an important development for the Pune Metro service as it strives to better serve the city’s commuters. The proper signage and clear directions will not only improve convenience for regular passengers but also attract new users who have been hesitant to rely on the Metro due to the previous lack of signage. The implementation of larger and more visible boards would further enrich the commuter experience and reduce any future difficulties while navigating the system. Source: The Indian Express
