The future of travelling is going to be extraordinary in India. And, the ever-expanding network of metros all across the country is a befitting testimonial to that. In the meantime, Pune Metro has set a brand-new record. It has become the fastest metro project in India to begin trials in just 30 months, and is expecting to launch the first stretch of five kilometres by April 2020. By Kumar Shree
The entire project cost about INR 11,420 crore for construction of two corridors of 31.25-km length and is expected to reach completion by March 2022. The Pune Metro project is under Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (Maha Metro), which is a 50:50 joint venture of the Centre and the Maharashtra government.
The first corridor stretching from PCMC to Swargate is 16.589-km in length with five underground and nine elevated stations. The second corridor from Vanaaz to Ramwadi is 14.665-km in length and have 16 stations. The first corridor will undergo a trial for two to three months and the trial for second corridor will being in another two months time.
The completion and operation of these projects would bring a huge relief for Pune residents who suffer from traffic congestion on a daily basis. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar has also expressed interest in extending the Vanaaz-Ramwadi line to Wagholi via Chandni Chowk and extend the PCMC-Swargate line at both ends.
The Maha Metro is also planning to develop around 10 million sq. ft of commercial space across the 30 metro stations on the two corridors. This will ensure that “more than 50 per cent of Pune Metro’s revenues would accrue from non-fare sources, to ensure the financial viability of the project,” said Dr Brijesh Dixit, MD of Maha Metro.
We really hope that the pace continues and that Pune residents soon get a new and better means of public transport.
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