Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate Pune’s new underground Metro corridor, connecting Civil Court to Swargate, on Thursday, September 26. He will also lay the foundation stone for the corridor’s extension from Swargate to Katraj.
Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, informed PTI, saying, “PM Modi will inaugurate the new Metro route and perform the ‘bhumipujan’ for an additional route on September 26. Pune is poised to become one of the top urban hubs in the near future.”
Fadnavis further highlighted that over 3.5 lakh commuters used the Metro during the Ganpati festival, indicating its growing popularity as a preferred mode of transportation.
The newly operational line will commence service on September 26. Two planned extensions are also in the works, from PCMC to Nigdi and Swargate to Katraj.
The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (Maha-Metro) oversees two lines, while the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) manages the purple line in partnership with the Tata Group.
The PCMC-Swargate corridor, part of the Pune Metro’s purple line, stretches 17.4 kilometers and consists of 14 stations. This event will mark Prime Minister Modi’s sixth visit to Pune for the Metro project.
According to Murlidhar Mohol, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, in a statement to the Hindustan Times, “We made a promise, and we delivered. The Prime Minister initiated this project and is now present to inaugurate it.”
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also emphasized the need for expanding metro routes to address Pune’s traffic congestion, instructing police officials to allow Metro workers to carry out work on Metro line 3 round-the-clock during public holidays.