Pune Metro is preparing to run trains every five minutes during peak hours after trials on the Vanaz–Ramwadi corridor were completed, while testing continues on the Swargate–Pimpri-Chinchwad route, Maha-Metro officials said on September 9, 2026. The proposed increase is intended to ease pressure on commuters travelling between 8am and 11am and from 4pm to 8pm.
Until the remaining trials are completed, trains will continue to operate every six minutes during peak periods, according to Shravan Hardikar, Maha-Metro’s chairman and managing director, as quoted by Loksatta. During non-peak hours, the current service interval is 10 minutes.
Maha-Metro plans to introduce the five-minute frequency on both corridors after operational testing is completed. The Vanaz–Ramwadi line has already undergone trials for the revised frequency, while testing is under way on the Swargate–Pimpri-Chinchwad corridor. The report did not specify when the five-minute service would begin.
The planned change comes as Pune Metro’s average daily ridership has crossed 250,000. Over the past week, 1,783,939 passengers used the system, generating revenue of Rs 2.71 crore, according to the figures cited in the report. On Saturday, September 5, daily ridership reached an all-time high of 277,000 passengers.
Maha-Metro is also planning extended operating hours during Ganeshotsav. Services will run until 11pm during the first three days of the festival, as they normally do. After that, trains will operate until midnight, while 24-hour service is planned for the immersion day.
The regular peak-hour frequency during the festival period will remain six minutes, Hardikar said. The five-minute schedule is expected to follow only after the ongoing trials and related operational checks are completed.
