Pune’s Shivajinagar ST bus station will be redeveloped at an estimated cost of Rs 825 crore under a public-private partnership, with construction planned for completion within three to four years. Maha Metro and the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding for the project on Wednesday in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The agreement was signed by officials from Maha Metro and the ST corporation in the presence of Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik and MLA Siddharth Shirole. Maha Metro will serve as the implementing agency, while private-sector participation will be used for the integrated development of the bus station.
The project is intended to create what authorities describe as one of Maharashtra’s largest and most modern ST bus stations. The tendering process is scheduled to begin next month, after which construction is expected to take three to four years, according to the details reported by Lokmat-Pune.
The proposed facility will place the passenger terminal on the ground floor and parking for buses on the first floor. The upper floors will be developed commercially under the public-private partnership model. The station is also planned to include a modern passenger waiting area, a separate workshop for bus maintenance and parking facilities.
Shivajinagar is being positioned as a major interchange because it connects two metro corridors, Shivajinagar railway station and the interchange at the District Court metro station. Dedicated corridors and stopping areas for Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited buses and auto-rickshaws are also planned as part of the development.
The original Shivajinagar ST station was shifted to Wakdewadi in 2019 to clear the site for construction of Maha Metro’s underground station. After the metro work was completed, efforts continued for five years to restore the ST station at its original location.
Until the new facility is completed, the ST station will continue to operate from the current site at the Aarey Dairy premises in Wakdewadi. Once construction at Shivajinagar is completed, the station is planned to move back to the original site.
The redevelopment is expected to benefit passengers travelling towards Khandesh, Marathwada, Vidarbha and Mumbai. Authorities have said the integrated transport hub could serve more than one lakh passengers a day after it becomes operational.
