The ministry of housing and urban affairs has granted the final approval for the next phase of expansion of the Pune Metro. The total cost for expansion is Rs 910.18 crore and marks the beginning of Phase II of the project. The Maharashtra state government has proposed an extension of 82.5 km in the second phase.
The government sanction was for expanding the metro rail by 4.413 km from the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation station to Nigdi with three elevated stations at Chinchwad, Akurdi and Nigdi. Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation said it has already floated tenders for appointing a general consultancy to speed up the work as well as for making a social impact assessment of the project. Tenders for the civil, electrical and signal works will be drawn and the contractors will be appointed and the work will start in three to four months.
This is an extension of the Swargate to Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation corridor. This approval expands the Pune Metro network to 37.613 km, encompassing 33 stations in total. The Pune Metro project currently has 23.6 km of operational tracks.
Shravan Hardikar, managing director, Maha Metro, said the work will be completed in three years and meet the community needs of lakhs of people living in these areas.