Pune Metro Line 3, connecting Maan-Hinjewadi with Shivajinagar, was inaugurated on November 3, opening a 23.203-kilometre rapid transit corridor intended to improve access to the city’s major information technology hub and reduce dependence on congested road travel. The ceremony also marked the foundation-laying for four Metro expansion corridors under Pune Metro Phase 2.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who inaugurated the corridor, said the new service would strengthen connectivity between Pune’s older areas and newer employment centres. He said the expansion of the Metro network would support the city’s development and provide better access to the IT sector concentrated around Hinjewadi. The event was attended by Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, Union ministers and senior officials from the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority and Metro agencies.
Line 3 has 23 elevated stations and was built at a reported cost of Rs 8,313 crore under a public-private partnership using the DBFOT model. Tata Projects and Siemens were involved in its construction, while land acquisition and viability-gap funding were provided through government support. The corridor is being presented by the state government as the first Metro project in India developed under a PPP structure of this kind.
The line is designed to serve employees and other passengers travelling between Hinjewadi, Maan, Marunji and Shivajinagar. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said thousands of employees in the Hinjewadi area currently face delays of one to two hours because of road congestion. He said the Metro, along with electric buses, ring roads, tunnels and other planned transport infrastructure, would help Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and the wider Pune Metropolitan Region develop as a major mobility centre by 2030.
The project also has a stated focus on women’s participation. According to Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, about 100 women train pilots and women employees comprising half of the station workforce will be involved in operating the corridor. Project details released at the event separately state that 90 women drivers will operate trains on the line. The route has therefore been branded a “Pink Metro” by the state government.
The inauguration was accompanied by the foundation-laying of four expansion corridors covering about 46 kilometres. These include the Khadakwasla-Kharadi, Vanaz-Chandani Chowk, Ramwadi-Wagholi and Manikbag-Nal Stop routes. Another announcement referred to 31 kilometres of approved Phase 2 corridors with 28 stations, connecting areas including Kothrud, Bavdhan, Viman Nagar, Kharadi and Wagholi. The supplied report presents both sets of figures as part of the wider expansion programme.
Union Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol said the Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar corridor would take Pune’s Metro network to about 55 kilometres. He also cited 958,603 Metro journeys recorded in Pune during September. Maharashtra currently has about 200 kilometres of Metro routes in service, while more than 680 kilometres of work is under way, according to figures cited by the Prime Minister at the event.
The next implementation challenge will be connecting stations to the surrounding road network. Sunetra Pawar said Rs 426 crore had been approved for internal roads leading to stations in Hinjewadi, Maan and Marunji. A task force led by the district collector has also been formed to address roads, traffic, water, electricity, waste management and Metro connectivity in these areas.
