Pune Metro expansion received a major push on Monday with the inauguration of the Man-Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar corridor and the foundation-laying ceremony for four corridors planned under the network’s second phase. The events were conducted at the Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the third corridor through video conferencing.
Speaking at the programme, Sunetra Pawar said the metro project would become an important part of Pune’s development as the city responds to rising population and transport demand. She described a modern, safe and environmentally friendly public transport system as an urgent requirement for the city.
The Man-Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar corridor is being taken forward as Pune Metro’s third route. The event also marked the beginning of work on four corridors under the second phase of the metro network. Together, the two developments represent a proposed investment of approximately ₹21,800 crore, according to the report.
Pawer said the expanded metro network would address the daily travel needs of students, employees and business professionals who move across Pune. She linked the project to three problems faced by the city’s commuters: increasing traffic congestion, longer travel times and pollution. The metro, she said, would provide citizens with an alternative mode of travel that is modern, safe and environmentally sustainable.
She also credited Ajit Pawar with contributing to the project from the preparation of the detailed project report to the approval stage. “In the Pune where Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule started schools for girls, the responsibility of the metro has now come to Savitribai’s daughters,” Sunetra Pawar said, referring to women’s participation in the city’s development.
The announcement places the metro at the centre of Pune’s next infrastructure phase, with the newly inaugurated corridor and the second-phase works being presented as measures to strengthen public transport capacity. The report did not provide corridor-wise construction timelines, station details, ridership projections or the operational date for the second-phase routes. Further implementation milestones will therefore depend on the progress of the announced works and subsequent project updates.
