In a first, the Pune Metro will use 2 MW of rooftop solar energy to power stations and other support operations, said Vinod Kumar Agarwal, director, systems and operations, Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation.
The solar energy plant has been set up via the PPP (public-private partnership) mode and will help shave off 50% from the electricity bill. The project will use 9 MW of solar power when fully completed.
Services on two more sections of the Pune Metro will begin on August 1 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags them off. With this, around 24 km of the 33.2-km, Rs 11,420-crore project will be opened to commuters. The sections that will open for commuters are from Phugewadi to Civil Court and Garware College to Ruby Hall Clinic.
The two corridors of the Pune Metro — PCMC to Swargate (17 km) and Vanaz to Ramwadi (16 km) — will intersect at Civil Court Metro station, making it an important station. Agarwal said that at 33.1 metres (108.59 ft), this is the deepest metro station in the country.
The ceiling of the underground station is 95-feet high and has been designed to receive direct sunlight or natural light and conserve energy. The station is underground on the PCMC-Swargate route and elevated on the Vanaz-Ramwadi corridor. Spread across 11.17 acres, it is also the largest station in the Pune Metro network with multiple entry and exit points.
Pune Metro has been developed by the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation with a large share of local products, including lightweight aluminium trains made by Titagarh Wagons. Some electrical components that were to be initially imported were manufactured domestically by Alstom. The 166 escalators to be installed at 30 stations have also been manufactured in Pune by Schindler at its Chakan plant.
The PM laid the foundation stone for the project in 2016 and inaugurated the first 5-km stretch in March 2022. The new sections will connect important places in the city, including Shivaji Nagar, Civil Court, Pune Municipal Corporation, Pune RTO, Pune Railway Station and Pimpri-Chinchwad.