Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar Metro to open on Nov 3 with only 17 of 23 stations operational

The long wait of IT professionals and other commuters in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad is about to end. The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) is building Metro Line 3 from Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar on a public-private partnership basis, and work is now in its final stretch. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will formally inaugurate the metro virtually on November 3. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is likely to be present at the event.

The metro had been under trial for several days, with trains running empty. Meanwhile, IT employees remained stuck in heavy traffic on the roads. The line is expected to save time and ease travel for lakhs of commuters in Hinjewadi IT Park, Wakad, Balewadi, Baner and Shivajinagar. However, it is now clear that the entire route will not open to passengers at full capacity on inauguration day.

The full route from Maan to Shivajinagar is 13.2 km long and has 23 stations. In the first phase, passenger service will begin from only 17 stations. Construction work and the required safety clearances are yet to be completed at the other six stations, so passengers will be able to neither board nor alight there.

The six stations that will remain closed in the first phase are Balewadi High Street, Balewadi Phata, Baner Gaon, Baner-Pashan Link Road, Bhosale Nagar and Shivajinagar.

The 17 stations where the metro will stop are Maan, Maan-MIDC Circle, Maan Bus Depot, Hinjewadi Phase 2-Circle 2, Hinjewadi Phase 2-Circle 1, Padmabhushan Chowk, Shree Shivchhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk-Hinjewadi, Hinjewadi Phase 1, Wakad Chowk, Shree Shivchhatrapati Krida Sankul-Mhalunge, Mykon-Balewadi, R.K. Laxman Museum-Balewadi, Aundh, Sakalnagar, Savitribai Phule Pune University, College of Agriculture and District Court, Pune.

The biggest concern is Shivajinagar, the most important station and the one in the middle of the route, which will remain closed in the first phase. Shivajinagar is a key point for connecting to the court complex, government offices, educational institutions and other public transport services. Passengers will now have to get off at other operational stations and rely on buses, autorickshaws or their own vehicles. With the main stations at Balewadi and Baner closed, the chain of travel will also be broken. Even with a metro station nearby, the lack of continuous service means people will have to depend on other modes to reach a station and to continue their journey.

The foundation stone for the Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar metro project, which costs about Rs 8,313 crore, was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 8, 2018. Work was delayed against the original schedule, so the deadline had to be extended several times.

Earlier, on March 6, 2022, the inauguration of the first phase of the Pune Metro was carried out in haste. It had a total of 10 stations, from Vanaz to Garware College and from Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation to Phugewadi. Now that not all stations on the Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar route will open at the inauguration either, talk of inaugurating unfinished work has resurfaced.

On November 3 itself, along with the inauguration of the Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar metro, Prime Minister Modi will also lay the foundation stones of four major new lines in the second phase of the Pune Metro. They are Line 2A (Vanaz to Chandani Chowk), Line 2B (Ramwadi to Wagholi), Line 4 (Khadakwasla to Kharadi) and Line 4A (Nal Stop to Warje-Manik Baug).