The second FOB was built in May 2006 to decongest the first FOB — which leads across from the main station road to the Tadiwala road on the other side — and cost the Railways between Rs one crore to Rs 1.5 crore.

The second FOB, wider than the old one by 1.5 meter, is built at a higher elevation of one foot. “But, it does not have a landing on one side, passengers prefer the old one to cross to the other side,” said Y.K. Singh, PRO Pune Division, Central Railways. Officials say people wanting to cross across to the other side comprise at least 50 per cent of the crowd on the bridge on any given evening, adding to the general rush of the passengers who use the bridge to move across platforms. “But with trains having around 24 compartments, passengers should use the second FOB to commute between platforms,” said Singh.

However, a senior railway official disagreed that lack of a landing was a problem. “Due to lack of standing autos and less parking space, passengers do not want to use the second FOB. They do not want to walk the extra distance,” he said.

Also, the entry to the second FOB from the main station road is blocked with a divider, which does not allow vehicles to turn into the campus, said officials.