Pimpri-Chinchwad: The long-awaited Hinjawadi–Shivajinagar Metro is likely to be inaugurated on 15th August, that is, Independence Day. The operation is expected to bring relief to lakhs of IT professionals and commuters who travel daily between Pune's largest IT hub and the city centre. The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) has written to the Maharashtra government seeking approval to launch services after receiving clearance from the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS).
According to PMRDA sources, the proposal has been sent to the state government, and the inauguration date is expected to be announced soon. While no official confirmation has been issued yet, August 15 is being considered for the launch of passenger services on the first operational stretch. A social media user had claimed on X, “Indians like the 'shubh muhurat' term, and 15th August is the 'shubh muhurat', which makes sense for such a project," while replying to a post related to Pune Metro Line 3.
State Government Nod Awaited…
The Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety, functioning under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, granted provisional authorisation on July 23 for passenger operations on the first phase of Pune Metro Line 3 between Maan and R. K. Laxman Museum (Balewadi). The approval covers a 13.3-km fully elevated section comprising 12 stations and follows the completion of statutory inspections, trial runs and compliance with prescribed safety standards.
"A letter has been written to the state government regarding the commencement of service on the Hinjawadi to Shivajinagar metro line. The state government is currently fixing the inauguration date. Once the date is finalised, service on this route will begin shortly," PMRDA Commissioner Dr Abhijit Chaudhari said, talking to the media.
Meanwhile, a PMRDA source told The Free Press Journal on Thursday, "August 15 is the date we are aiming for the inauguration. We have sought confirmation from the chief minister's office. However, the date is yet to be confirmed."
Here’s The Plan…
The first phase of the project will connect Maan with Balewadi, while the remaining stretch from Baner High Street to Shivajinagar will be opened in the second phase after the pending works are completed and statutory approvals are received.
The CMRS carried out a detailed inspection of the metro corridor between July 5 and July 8 in the presence of senior officials of Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited (PITCMRL), the concessionaire implementing the project. Following the inspection, the company submitted a compliance report addressing observations made by the safety authority. The final approval was granted after successful trial runs and verification of all mandatory safety requirements.
The authorised section has been cleared for operations at a maximum speed of 80 km/h in Automatic Train Protection (ATP) mode under the Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling system. The double-track corridor is powered by a 750V DC third-rail traction system.
One Of The Most Significant Projects…
The Hinjawadi–Shivajinagar Metro, also known as Pune Metro Line 3 or the Puneri Metro, is one of the city's most significant transport infrastructure projects. Built under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model on a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis, it is India's first metro project to adopt this model. The ₹8,313-crore project is being implemented by PMRDA through Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited, a joint venture of Tata Realty and Siemens.
Once fully operational, the 23.2-km fully elevated corridor will connect Megapolis Circle in Maan with Shivajinagar through 23 stations, passing key locations including Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park, Infosys Phase II, Wipro Circle, Wakad, Balewadi, Baner, Savitribai Phule Pune University and Agriculture College before reaching Shivajinagar and Pune District Court, where passengers will be able to interchange with the existing Pune Metro network.
Traffic To Reduce?
The metro is expected to significantly reduce travel time between Hinjawadi and Shivajinagar to around 45 minutes, compared with the 90 minutes to over two hours often required during peak traffic. Officials believe the project will help ease congestion on the Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway (NH-48) and Baner Road, reduce dependence on private vehicles and improve connectivity for lakhs of daily commuters travelling to and from the Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park.
Construction of the overall corridor has crossed 94% completion, with end-to-end trial runs already completed. The remaining section towards Shivajinagar is expected to be opened after the completion of pending civil works and receipt of the required regulatory approvals. If the state government finalises the proposed schedule, Pune's long wait for direct metro connectivity to Hinjawadi's IT hub could finally end with the inauguration later this month.
