By the end of July, the Pune Metro is set to conduct the final inspection and safety approval of three crucial stations (Budhwar Peth, Mandai, and Swargate). This will be an essential step in completing the process of Line 1 from Civil Court to Swargate.
The first phase of the Pune Metro Rail project has two corridors: a north-south corridor (Purple Line) and an east-west corridor (Aqua Line), with a total length of 33.1 km and 30 stations.
The north-south corridor is 17.4 km from Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to Swargate, with 14 stations, of which nine are elevated and five are underground. The corridor passes through the industrial area of Pimpri-Chinchwad to the old Peth areas of Pune city.
Currently, the line runs from Pimpri to Civil Court. The pending section to be inaugurated will be around 3.7 km from the Civil Court to Swargate.
Officials said the section is targeted to be opened before Ganeshotsav in September and before the state assembly elections in October in compliance with the model code of conduct.
Atul Gadgil, director (works) of Pune Metro, provided updates on the progress, stating, “The Swargate underground station is nearing completion with 95 percent of the work already done. Additionally, we are on track to finalize the Budhwar Peth to Mandai stretch by next month,” reports Deccan Herald.
In February 2024, Pune Metro conducted a trial run from Civil Court to Swargate station, a significant step in the project. The trial showed the readiness of the infrastructure for passenger operations by covering a distance of 3.34 km/h at a speed of 7.5 km/h.
Pune Metro Lines 1 and 2 currently serve around 90,000 passengers daily.
