Pune Metro Line 3 to be inaugurated by PM Modi on November 3, services from November 4

The muchawaited Pune Metro Line 3 connecting ManHinjawadi with Shivajinagar will be inaugurated virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 3 2026 Passenger services on the 23203km elevated corridor also known as the Puneri Metro or Pink Line will commence at 6 am on November 4Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Ajit Pawar will be present at the inauguration ceremony scheduled for 1030 am at the badminton hall of the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in MhalungeBalewadiThe details were announced by Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority PMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Abhijit Chaudhary Additional Metropolitan Commissioner K Manjulakshmi Pune IT City Metro Rail Ltd PITCMRL CEO Anilkumar Saini and PMRDA Chief Engineer Special Projects Rinaz Pathan at a press conference held at the authoritys Akurdi headquarters on SaturdayOf the corridors total 23 stations 17 will initially be opened to passengers Seven stations will have only one staircase operational while both staircases will be available at the remaining 10 stations The six remaining stations will be commissioned in phases Work on stations 13 and 14 is expected to be completed by the end of November 2026 while the other four stationsmdash15 16 20 and 22mdashare scheduled to be completed by January 2027Dr Chaudhary said the project estimated to cost Rs 8313 crore including land acquisition and utility shifting is being implemented under the publicprivate partnership PPP model through the Design Build Finance Operate and Transfer DBFOT framework It is the first metro project in the country to be implemented under this model in accordance with the National Metro Rail Policy 2017The project is being executed by PITCMRL a special purpose vehicle established with the participation of TRIL Urban Transport Pvt Ltd and Siemens Project Ventures GmbH under a concession agreement with PMRDAThe Pink Line will connect Man with the Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park in Hinjawadi and extend to Shivajinagar linking major IT commercial and administrative hubs The corridor is expected to significantly ease daily traffic congestion in Hinjawadi Aundh Baner Balewadi Mhalunge Ganeshkhind Road and Shivajinagar An estimated 2 lakh to 25 lakh commuters are expected to use the service daily Chaudhary saidIntegration with existing metro linesThe District Court Shivajinagar station will provide interchange facilities with MahaMetros Line 1 PimpriChinchwad to Swargate and Line 2 Vanaz to Ramwadi A common ticketing app has been developed to facilitate seamless travel across the existing MahaMetro network and the new Line 3To improve lastmile connectivity dedicated pickup and dropoff points are being developed for PMPML buses autorickshaws appbased taxis such as Ola and Uber and ebikes Parking facilities for twowheelers and fourwheelers are also being provided near stations Dedicated cycle tracks wider footpaths pedestrian crossings and foot overbridges are among the other facilities planned to improve commuter safetyTrain timings and passenger facilitiesPITCMRL CEO Anilkumar Saini said the first train would depart at 6 am daily from November 4 The last train from Man towards District Court will leave at 1030 pm while the last train from District Court towards Man will depart at 1140 pmTrains will operate at sixminute intervals during peak hours and every 12 minutes during nonpeak hoursThe airconditioned Alstom trains will have mobile phone and laptop charging facilities The corridor will use CommunicationBased Train Control CBTC signalling and a 750volt DC thirdrail power supply systemThe entire corridor has undergone inspection by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation RDSO The Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety CMRS granted final safety approval for the 1260km stretch from Man to RK Laxman Museum Balewadi on July 23 2026 and for the remaining fivestation stretch on September 23 2026 A total of 350 security personnel from the Maharashtra State Security Corporation have been deployed at the stationsGreen energy and womens participationThe project has an installed solar power generation capacity of 760 MW comprising 610 MW at metro stations and 150 MW at the car depot Solar power is expected to meet around 30 per cent of the corridors total electricity requirementAll trains on Line 3 will be operated by approximately 100 women train pilots Around 50 per cent of the station workforce including station controllers ticketing personnel and station attendants will also comprise women Chaudhary saidHighlighting the projects environmental initiatives Rinaz Pathan said the use of Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag GGBS in construction had helped prevent approximately 28000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions The project also saved 2000 tonnes of steel and 60 crore litres of waterAs part of its green initiatives 5500 new trees have been planted to compensate for trees affected by the project while 750 trees have been successfully transplanted with an 80 per cent survival rateUniversity Chowk flyover and parking facilitiesAn integrated doubledecker flyover has been constructed at University Chowk on Ganeshkhind Road as part of the project The AundhtoShivajinagar arm was opened to traffic on August 20 2025 while the ShivajinagarBaner and BanerShivajinagar arms were opened on March 8 2026 Work on the Pashan ramp is in progress and is scheduled for completion by December 2026PMRDA has also facilitated parking infrastructure near metro stations A facility spread across approximately 30000 sq ft has been developed near station PMR11 at Amar Tech Park in Balewadi Another parking facility covering 21000 sq ft has been developed near station PMR14 in the ABZ area of BanerThe facilities are expected to encourage commuters to use the metro and help reduce congestion in the surrounding areas