Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar Metro to open on Nov 3 with six stations shut at first

The long-awaited Metro line from Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar is set to be inaugurated on November 3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate it online. But when services begin, passengers will not be able to use all the stations on the route.

The 23.2-km corridor is being built by the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) under a public-private partnership. It aims to link the Hinjewadi IT hub with central Pune. A total of 23 stations are planned on the route from Maan to Shivajinagar, of which 17 are expected to open to passengers initially.

The six stations left out of the first phase are Balewadi High Street, Balewadi Phata, Baner Gaon, Baner-Pashan Link Road, Bhosale Nagar and Shivajinagar. Work and the required safety clearances at these locations are yet to be completed.

The impact is likely to be felt especially in Baner and Balewadi, where housing, offices and commercial buildings have grown rapidly. People living or working near the closed stations may have to rely on autorickshaws, buses or their own vehicles to reach an operational station. For some, that could mean an extra travel expense before they board the Metro.

For those travelling to the city centre, the absence of Shivajinagar station from the initial service is a further hurdle. It is an important stop for people heading into central Pune. Until services begin at Shivajinagar, passengers travelling there by Metro will have to get off at an operational station and arrange onward transport themselves. This could affect the convenience of commuters from Hinjewadi, Wakad, Baner and Balewadi.

The stations that will be operational at the start are Maan, Maan-MIDC Circle, Maan Bus Depot, Hinjewadi Phase 2-Circle 2, Hinjewadi Phase 2-Circle 1, Padmabhushan Chowk, Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk-Hinjewadi, Hinjewadi Phase 1, Wakad Chowk, Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex-Mhalunge, Micron-Balewadi, R. K. Laxman Museum-Balewadi, Aundh, Sakalnagar, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Agriculture College and District Court, Pune.

Thus, not all stations on the corridor will open on November 3; passenger service will begin on one section of the line. Until the remaining stations get the required clearances and become operational, commuters from the affected areas will have to plan their journeys around this reduced network.