Pune Metro 2.0: Cabinet Clears Massive Expansion—Get Ready for a Smoother, Greener Commute

Image Source: Pune Pulse

In a major infrastructure push for Pune, the Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given the go-ahead to Phase 2 of the Pune Metro Rail Project, giving the green light to two new elevated corridors at an estimated cost of Rs 3,626 crore. The move will significantly enhance urban mobility and connect rapidly growing suburbs to the city center, potentially changing daily commutes for lakhs of city residents.

Key Highlights:

Project Scope: Two new elevated corridors: Vanaz to Chandani Chowk (Corridor 2A) and Ramwadi to Wagholi/Vitthalwadi (Corridor 2B).
Length total: 12.75 km, with 13 stations.
Extensions will connect growing suburbs such as Chandani Chowk, Bavdhan, Kothrud, Kharadi, and Wagholi.
Strategic Integration: Corridors will accommodate major IT nodes, business complexes, education centers, and residential settlements.
Seamless interchanging between District Court station and Line-1 (Nigdi–Katraj) and Line-3 (Hinjewadi–District Court) for multimodal connectivity.
Linkages with intercity bus services from Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahilya Nagar, and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar to Chandani Chowk and Wagholi, respectively.
Timeline and Financing: Project completion was targeted within four years.
Cost-sharing between the Union government, the Maharashtra government, and foreign bilateral/multilateral agencies.
Impact and Ridership: Targeting to raise the ridership of Line 2 to 96,000 per day in 2027 to 2.01 lakh in 2037, 2.87 lakh in 2047, and 3.49 lakh in 2057.
Complies with Pune's Comprehensive Mobility Plan for uninterrupted East-West mass transit.

This strategic growth is set to not only decongest Pune roads but also serve as a sustainable, efficient means of addressing the increasing population of the city, cementing Pune as a first-class city.

Source: Indian Express, NDTV, The Hindu Business Line, Hindustan Times.