Air passengers travelling to and from Pune International Airport may soon be able to skip the last-mile taxi or auto ride, as a new Metro route connecting Kalyani Nagar to the airport at Lohegaon has been finalised.
Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol announced the development after holding a review meeting with officials from Pune Metro and the civic administration, according to The Indian Express report.
Mohol said the alignment for the airport Metro link has been finalised and the proposal will first be placed before the Pune Municipal Corporation.
After receiving local approval, it will be forwarded to the Maharashtra government and then to the Centre for final clearance.
Direct Metro access to the airport
At present, Metro commuters travelling to Pune Airport have to deboard at Yerawada Metro station and then take a taxi, auto-rickshaw or another vehicle to reach the airport. Because of this extra journey, many air travellers prefer to use private cabs instead of the Metro.
Once the new Metro link is built, passengers will be able to travel to the airport without worrying about switching to another mode of transport. The project is expected to improve connectivity between the airport and different parts of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad.
Airport to be linked with more metro lines
As Pune’s Metro network grows, reaching the airport will become easier from different parts of the city. The new Metro route to Pune Airport will start from Kalyani Nagar Metro station on Line 2 (Vanaz-Ramwadi).
Civil Court station, which connects Lines 1 and 2, will also link with the upcoming Line 3 (Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar). The proposed Line 4 (Khadakwasla-Kharadi) will also pass through Kalyani Nagar.
Once these projects are completed, passengers will be able to travel to the airport using any of the four Metro lines with fewer transfers.