Signaling yet another urban mobility project, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday virtually inaugurated the six-km-long stretch of Pune Metro.
Modi opened the much-awaited Line 2 between Ruby Hall Clinic and Ramwadi stations (6 km) and laid the foundation stone for a Rs 900 crore 4.4 km elevated new metro line from Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation Metro station to Nigdi.
The extension of Pune Metro will bring relief to office-goers and students from both Pune City and Pimpri-Chinchwad areas. The service will be similar to other stretches and there will be a train every seven and half minutes during peak hours, and during non-peak hours, a Metro train will be available every 10 minutes, Shravan Hardikar, MD of Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha Metro) said.
The Ruby Hall Clinic-Ramwadi stretch of the metro will connect key areas of the city including Bund Garden, Yerawada, and Kalyani Nagar. As per the officials, commuters can now travel from Ramwadi to Kothrud at Rs 20 ticket price.
Major facets and difficulties in key project
The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro) oversees the operations of the Pune Metro. The first trial run of the Ruby Hall Clinic and Ramwadi station was carried out in October 2023. Meanwhile, the operations at Yerawada station will not be accessible initially due to ongoing construction work.
“The Yerawada station, which falls between Bundgarden and Kalyaninagar will take some more time for completion,” Hardikar said.
In November, the metro work was halted after a community complained about traffic disruptions caused by ongoing infrastructure works. The station is expected to open within a month.
With Yerawada station situated after Bund Garden station on Ahmednagar Road, the new Pune metro line promises to enhance connectivity and ease of transportation in the city.