Pune Metro passengers changing to Hinjewadi line will need to scan two separate QR codes

Passengers moving from the existing Pune Metro network to the Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar corridor will have to scan two separate QR codes when changing lines. The arrangement will let people plan journeys across all three corridors, but the ticketing system of the newly built Line 3 will remain separate.

Maha Metro Managing Director Shravan Hardikar explained the arrangement at a press conference on Monday. He said the ticket issued for travel across the three corridors will carry two QR codes. Passengers will have to scan them at the respective entry points to continue their journey.

At present, Maha Metro issues a common ticket for travel on the Vanaz-Ramwadi and Pimpri-Chinchwad-Swargate corridors. The Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar line has been built by the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), so it will run with separate ticketing.

There will be several ways to get a ticket. Passengers can buy tickets at the network's metro stations, and also through Maha Metro's mobile app and WhatsApp. When the journey includes the PMRDA corridor, the QR codes printed on the ticket will be scanned separately at the two access points.

Passengers holding a National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) will not need to take a separate ticket. They can tap their card at both entry points to access the respective metro services.

Hardikar also said the start of the Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar corridor will bring a good increase in the number of daily metro users. According to him, Maha Metro expects about one lakh more passengers in daily ridership once the third line is operational.

He said the two existing corridors carry an average of 2.5 lakh to nearly 3 lakh passengers a day. On some occasions, the daily crowd has crossed the 3 lakh mark.

The new corridor will extend the reach of the metro among IT employees and other commuters travelling between Hinjewadi and central Pune.