Business2 min
Pune Metro Line 3 opens to riders Nov 4 after PM Modi's Nov 3 launch
The 23.2-km elevated Pink Line promises a faster, car-free route for Hinjewadi's IT workers, though only 17 of its 23 stations will be ready on day one.
Pune's long-awaited Metro Line 3 is ready to roll. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 23.2-km elevated corridor, known as the Puneri Metro or Pink Line, on November 3, and passengers can ride from 6 am on November 4, according to a Hindustan Times report.
The line links Maan and Hinjewadi IT Park with Shivajinagar, a route that thousands of tech workers currently crawl through by car, bus or two-wheeler. The project is expected to carry roughly two to 2.5 lakh commuters a day and take pressure off Hinjewadi, Aundh, Baner, Balewadi, Mahalunge, Ganeshkhind Road and Shivajinagar.
Here is what riders should know before day one. Only 17 of the 23 stations open at first. Seven of those will have a single staircase working, while ten will have both. Two more stations are due by the end of November 2026, and the last four are planned in phases by January 2027.
Trains will come every six minutes at peak hours and every 12 minutes otherwise. The last train from Maan towards District Court leaves at 10.30 pm, and the last one in the opposite direction departs at 11.40 pm.
Transfers are the big convenience. At District Court in Shivajinagar, Line 3 meets MahaMetro's Line 1 (Pimpri-Chinchwad to Swargate) and Line 2 (Vanaz to Ramwadi). One common mobile app handles tickets across the existing network and the new line.
Getting to the station matters too. The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority is arranging PMPML buses, auto-rickshaws, app-based taxis and e-bikes, plus pick-up and drop zones and parking near select stations. The corridor also has cycle tracks, wider footpaths and pedestrian crossings. About 350 security personnel will be posted at stations, and the final safety clearance for the last section came on September 23.
The project costs an estimated ₹8,313 crore and is India's first metro built under the design, build, finance, operate and transfer public-private model under the National Metro Rail Policy, 2017. Solar capacity of 7.60 MW should cover about 30% of its power needs. Officials say the inauguration will be held at 10.30 am at the Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Mahalunge-Balewadi, with Maharashtra's Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Ajit Pawar expected. Read the original report here.
FiledDevendra FadnavisNarendra ModiEknath ShindeTata MotorsMaharashtraWorld Bank
