Siemens rail technology on Pune Metro Line 3 expected to cut Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar travel time by 50%

Siemens Limited has installed its modern rail technology on Pune Metro Line 3. The company has offered advanced "turnkey rail solutions" for the route. It is expected to strengthen connectivity between Hinjewadi and Shivajinagar and cut commuters' travel time by about 50 per cent.

Siemens Limited has provided a complete set of integrated rail technologies for the line. These include systems integration, 750-volt DC third-rail electrification, Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling and an integrated communication system. Project management and depot equipment have also been provided. Used together, these technologies will help make metro operations safer, more precise and more reliable. Notably, the company has also taken on responsibility for maintaining the power supply and signalling systems for 10 years.

Pune Metro Line 3 is an elevated metro route about 23 km long. It links Hinjewadi, Pune's major IT hub, with Shivajinagar in the middle of the city. IT employees, students and ordinary citizens who travel daily expect major relief from it. Commuters currently face heavy traffic jams on this route. Once the metro service begins at full capacity, travel time could fall by about 50 per cent. This would reduce the crowding of vehicles on the road, save fuel and help control pollution.

The line has been built on a public-private partnership (PPP) model under the Central government's New Metro Rail Policy. A special purpose vehicle (SPV) named Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited was set up for the project. Tata group's TRIL Urban Transport Private Limited and Siemens Project Ventures GmbH, a subsidiary of Siemens Financial Services, hold stakes in it.

Siemens Limited had been working on the project as part of a consortium of Siemens AG and its partners. Rajeev Joisar, head of the company's mobility business, described the project as an important milestone for India's urban transport sector. He expressed confidence that such partnerships would help in expanding metro projects in the country.