Hinjewadi Metro Line 3 to open on November 3, PM Modi to inaugurate it virtually

Pune's long-awaited Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar Metro Line 3 is finally set to open on November 3. Officials said on Monday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 23.3-km corridor virtually. Passenger services are expected to begin on 17 of the route's 23 stations. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will be present at the event at the Balewadi stadium.

Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) Commissioner Abhijeet Choudhary said the administration has been told to complete preparations for the event. "We have been asked to keep everything ready for November 3. The Prime Minister will join online, while the Chief Minister and other dignitaries will be at the venue," he said.

The metro is expected to bring relief to thousands of commuters who travel daily between Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park in Hinjewadi and Pune. The road on this route is heavily congested, especially during office peak hours. The corridor has been built as an alternative to travel by road.

The project is being built by PMRDA and Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited on a public-private partnership (PPP) model. It is counted as the country's first metro corridor built on this model under the Centre's 2017 Metro Rail Policy. It is an elevated route with 23 stations. Its estimated cost, including land acquisition and utility shifting, is about Rs 8,313 crore.

Since construction began, the metro has fallen behind schedule several times. It was first to be completed by March 2025, but approvals for barricading, utility shifting and other construction work caused delays. The deadline was then extended to September 2025 and later to March 2026. A shortage of labour and problems in the supply of materials added to the delay.

Officials had earlier planned to open the corridor in phases, with 12 stations in the first section. However, the inauguration kept getting postponed as the required safety approval from the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) was awaited. The model code of conduct for the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections had also added uncertainty over the inauguration date.

The CMRS has now cleared 17 of the corridor's 23 stations for passenger service. According to officials, inspection of two stations near Balewadi has been completed, while the RBI, Simla Chowk, Mahabaleshwar Chowk and Baner stations are awaiting approval. The remaining stations will be opened once the required approvals are received and work is completed.

The preparations for the inauguration come at a time when resentment is growing among commuters, especially IT employees, who still have to depend on crowded roads to reach Hinjewadi. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Sunday demanded that the state government open the section that has received safety approval without waiting for a formal inauguration.

Maha-Metro is also set to perform the bhoomi pujan of its Phase 2 projects during the event. These projects are part of larger efforts to expand the metro network in the area and improve connectivity in Pune. PMRDA has also approved a Rs 426-crore plan to improve roads, traffic management and last-mile connectivity in Hinjewadi. Once services begin, this will make it easier for commuters to reach metro stations and travel to and from the IT hub.