Pune: Alandi May Turn Into Key Maintenance and Repair Centre for Vande Bharat Coaches, Proposal Awaits Govt Nod

Pune, 18th April 2026: Alandi, an important pilgrimage center located in the Pune district may soon emerge as a major maintenance and repair hub for Vande Bharat and other modern railway coaches as the Pune railway division is planning a new coaching depot at an estimated cost of Rs 97 crore.

Railway officials said the proposed depot route is awaiting approval from the Railway Board and it is expected to ease pressure on existing maintenance facilities near Pune station.

Once operational, the depot will handle daily cleaning, maintenance and repairs of nearly 100 coaches, including LHB (Linke Hofmann Busch) coaches and Vande Bharat train sets.

The move is part of a new operational model inspired by Japanese railway systems, where passenger boarding and alighting happens at the main station, while maintenance work is shifted to separate facilities outside city centres.

At present, such work for Pune-origin trains is carried out at the Ghorpadi Coaching Maintenance Complex (GCMC), which services around 300 coaches daily. Officials said with train traffic from Pune likely to rise in the coming years, the existing depot may face increasing pressure.

The coaching terminal and depot at Alandi is likely to receive approval soon. It will help reduce the burden on Pune station and existing facilities, officials from the Pune railway division said.

The proposed depot will include three 600-metre-long pit lines for maintenance, two stabling lines for parking trains, and a sick line where defective coaches can be isolated and repaired.