Pune: The first train left Maan-Hinjawadi at 6 am on Wednesday. For the thousands who travel to the Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park and back every day, the alternative they have been promised for years finally has a timetable.
Commercial services on Pune Metro Line 3 began on Wednesday, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the corridor virtually. The 23.203 km elevated line, called the Pink Line, connects Maan-Hinjawadi with the District Court station at Shivajinagar.
The project cost Rs 8,313 crore, including land acquisition and the shifting of utilities, and was built on a public-private partnership. The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority developed it, and Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited, a joint venture of Tata and Siemens, implemented it.
Around 100 women will drive the trains, the first such team in the country. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the line would be known as the Pink Line for that reason.
Seventeen of the 23 stations open to passengers from Wednesday. At seven of them — Maan, Maan-MIDC Circle Phase 2, Maan Bus Depot, Hinjawadi Phase 2 Circle 1, Padmabhushan Chowk, Agricultural College and the District and Sessions Court — only one staircase will be available at first.
Trains will run every six minutes in peak hours and every 12 minutes at other times. The first train leaves Maan-Hinjawadi at 6 am and the last at 10.30 pm. From Shivajinagar, the first is at 6 am and the last at 11.40 pm.
The PMRDA estimates two to 2.5 lakh passengers a day. The line is expected to ease traffic on Ganeshkhind Road, Aundh, Baner, Balewadi, Mhalunge and around the IT park, where employees have complained for years about hours lost in the commute.
Modi, speaking after the inauguration, said the line would connect the city to its IT hub and save commuters time. He said the country's Metro network had grown from 248 km in 2014 to 1,200 km, operating in 26 cities against five then, and that around one crore people use it daily.
He also addressed the drought in Maharashtra, saying the state government had given advance assistance and that the Centre stood with farmers.
Fadnavis said Line 3 was the first Metro project in the country on the PPP model and that 12 municipal corporations in the state would have Metro operations soon. A common ticketing app will let passengers travel on both Maha Metro and Line 3, he said.
The foundation stone for the next phase was laid at the same event: 44.39 km across four corridors.