Pune Metro to run on regular timings on Diwali after commuters object to early closure

Pune Metro will run on its regular timings on Sunday, the day of Laxmi Pujan. The plan to shut services early on Diwali was changed after commuters objected. Trains will run from 6 am to 11 pm.

Metro Line 3 has announced its own timings. The line will run from 6 am to 11.30 pm on Sunday.

The timings were changed twice in the past few days. Pune Metro had first announced that trains would stop at 6 pm on Diwali. After commuters raised concerns, a notification issued on Friday extended this to 8 pm. On Saturday afternoon, the administration issued a fresh notification restoring the regular timetable.

Commuters working in hospitals, commercial establishments, security services and other essential sectors were troubled by the early closure. Despite the festival, they have to travel in the evening and late at night.

A nurse at a city hospital said, "Hospital staff work in shifts and many of us have to return home late in the evening. Not everyone has a private vehicle. If the metro keeps running as usual, travel will be safer and easier for people like us."

The change matters most to people on late shifts. A security guard who lives in Vanaz works at Bund Garden and finishes duty at 10.30 pm every day. He said he would have been in difficulty if the earlier timing had stayed.

He said, "I finish duty at 10.30 pm and depend on public transport to get home to Vanaz. If the metro closed at 8 pm, I would have had to look for other routes or spend more on travel. Having the regular timetable is a huge relief."

Other commuters also welcomed the decision. A regular metro commuter said, "The metro has become the easiest way to get around Pune. Especially for long distances, it is more convenient than many other public transport options. It is good that the administration decided to run the service as usual on Diwali instead of limiting it."

Citing public safety, Pune Metro officials have also appealed to citizens not to burst firecrackers near the metro viaduct and elevated corridors.