Pune Metro Line 3: Hinjawadi-Shivajinagar Route Ready For Launch; PMRDA Awaits State Govt’s Decision On Inauguration

Pimpri-Chinchwad: The first phase of the much-awaited Hinjawadi-Shivajinagar Metro Line 3 is ready to begin passenger operations, with all statutory and technical approvals in place. However, commuters will have to wait a little longer as the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) is awaiting the state government’s decision on the inauguration date.

In an official statement provided to The Free Press Journal on Monday, PMRDA said all technical hurdles in the project have been resolved, and the metro corridor is fully prepared for passenger services. The authority has also received the mandatory authorisation from the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) to operate the first phase between Maan-Hinjawadi and Balewadi, covering stations 1 to 12.

Officials had said that CMRS operation couldn't be taken to start the metro in early July, which was the plan, but it managed to get in by month's end.

PMRDA said it is pursuing the matter with the state government at the senior level to finalise the inauguration of the first phase at the earliest.

The first phase covers a 13.3-km stretch from Maan-Hinjawadi to Balewadi. The full 23.3-km Metro Line 3 will eventually connect Hinjawadi IT Park with Shivajinagar through 23 stations. The corridor is expected to significantly reduce travel time for lakhs of daily commuters travelling between Pune City and the Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park.

The latest development comes after months of delays. PMRDA had earlier announced that the first phase would open by mid-July after CMRS inspection, but passenger services could not begin as the project was awaiting statutory clearance. The CMRS has since granted authorisation for operations on the first phase, leaving only the formal inauguration pending.

Metro Line 3 is India’s first metro corridor being implemented under the public-private partnership (PPP) model by Pune IT City Metro Rail Ltd (PITCMRL), a joint venture of Tata Realty and Siemens under the supervision of PMRDA. The project is estimated to cost around ₹8,500 crore and is expected to improve connectivity between Pune’s IT hub and the city centre.

Efforts were made to contact PMRDA Commissioner Dr Abhijeet Chaudhari and Chief Engineer Rinaj Pathan for information on the metro's exact start date, but they were unavailable for a response.