Prime Minister Narendra Modi may inaugurate the Pune Metro stretch from Phugewadi to Shivajinagar and another stretch Garware College to Ruby Hall Clinic on August 1, the officials have said. The Prime Minister is expected to visit Pune in August to receive the Lokmanya Tilak award.
MahaMetro spokesperson Hemant Sonawane told The Indian Express that the government has been informed that the two stretches are complete and ready for inauguration. “But we have yet to receive any communication from the state government,” he added. The officials have not ruled out the possibility of the PM inaugurating. He had previously inaugurated the metro service in Pune in 2022 and laid the foundation of the Metro project.
Final inspections
The two stretches have seen some delays. They were supposed to be completed two months ago. The Commissioner of Railway Safety completed a final inspection of the routes on Saturday. The Commissioner gave a green signal to starting services on both the routes. The officials are now waiting for the safety compliance certificate.
PM Modi laid the foundation stone of Pune Metro in December 2018. He then inaugurated Pune Metro in March 2022. He also inaugurated two stretches, one from PCMC headquarters in Pimpri to Phugewadi and the other from Vanaz to Garware college.
After the inauguration on Corridor one, which runs from Pimpri to Swargate (17.4 kilometres), is done, the Pune Metro will reach Civil Court, Shivajinagar. The new stretch from Phugewadi to Civil Court is about 6.9 km. The new stretch from Garware College Ruby Hall is 4.7 kilometres. It lies on Corridor two which runs from Vanaz to Ramwadi (15.7 kilometres).
It is believed that once the Phugewadi-Shivajinagar route is operational, it will help reduce the burden on the Pune-Mumbai highway which is otherwise ridden with traffic issues daily.