PM Modi inaugurates Pune’s 23-km Pink Metro

Pune: Signalling a major breakthrough for Pune’s traffic-choked western corridor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday commissioned the much-awaited 23.20-km elevated ‘Pink Metro Line 3’, connecting the Maan-Hinjewadi IT hub with Shivajinagar.

The new mass-transit corridor is expected to provide substantial relief to thousands of IT professionals and daily commuters who grapple with chronic traffic congestion and spend hours travelling at all times of the day.

This is the first Metro line to have 90 per cent women pilots (drivers) and 50 per cent women staff members at all other levels, an official said.

Passenger services on the ‘Puneri Metro’, or Pink Line 3, will commence at 6 am on November 4. The Prime Minister also launched Pune Metro’s Phase 2, marking another milestone in the expansion of the city’s public transport network.

The elevated Pink Line 3 will serve major residential and commercial neighbourhoods, including Wakad, Baner, Balewadi and University Circle, providing faster and more convenient connectivity to Pune’s rapidly expanding workforce.

It will provide interchange facilities with Pune Metro’s existing Line 1 (Purple Line) and Line 2 (Aqua Line), extending the reach of an integrated and sustainable urban transport network. The entire corridor has been scrutinised by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO).

The 23.20-km corridor links Maan with the Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park in Hinjewadi and extends connectivity to key administrative and commercial hubs, including Shivajinagar.

Estimated to cost Rs 8,313 crore, the project has been implemented by Pune IT City Metro Rail Ltd (PITCMRL), a special purpose vehicle (SPV) of Tata Group’s TRIL Urban Transport Pvt Ltd and Siemens Project Ventures GmbH, under a concession agreement with the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA).

The project has been developed under the public-private partnership (PPP) model through the Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) framework. It is the country’s first Metro project developed under this model in accordance with the National Metro Rail Policy, 2017.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol, along with other dignitaries, attended the virtual inauguration ceremony at the Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Mahalunge-Balewadi.

LAST-MILE CONNECTIVITY

To encourage Metro ridership and ease road congestion, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has developed parking facilities near select stations. These include an approximately 30,000 sq. ft. parking lot near Station PMR-11 in the Amar Tech Park area of Balewadi and a 21,000 sq. ft. facility beside Station PMR-14 in Baner’s ABZ area.

The PMRDA is developing an integrated last-mile transport network around Metro stations, linking them with PMPML buses, auto-rickshaws, app-based taxi services such as Ola and Uber, and e-bikes. Dedicated pick-up and drop-off zones, bicycle tracks, wider footpaths, pedestrian crossings and foot overbridges are also planned to ensure safer and more convenient access to the stations.

COMMON MOBILE APP

PITCMRL CEO Anilkumar Saini said Metro trains would operate every six minutes during peak hours and every 12 minutes during off-peak hours. Line 3 will connect with Lines 1 and 2 at the District Court Metro Station in Shivajinagar, enabling seamless interchange across all three corridors.

The new Metro line will also provide connectivity to major railway stations, bus depots and National Highway 48 (Pune-Bengaluru), strengthening access to key transport hubs.

A common mobile application has been developed for ticketing and travel across the existing MahaMetro network and the new Pink Line 3 corridor, an official said.