Punekars can finally breathe a sigh of relief as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to virtually inaugurate the Pune Metro's Ruby Hall Clinic to Ramwadi stretch tomorrow (March 6) between 10:15am and 10:45am.
Hemant Sonawane, Executive Director (Public Relations and Administration) at Pune Metro, confirmed to The Free Press Journal that all preparations for the inauguration have been completed, with invitations extended to local MLAs and MPs.
The 5.5km Ruby Hall Clinic to Ramwadi stretch features four stations: Bundgarden, Yerawada, Kalyani Nagar, and Ramwadi. However, initial passenger operations will bypass Yerawada station due to ongoing construction, prompted by complaints about traffic congestion. Although work has recently resumed, completion is estimated to take about a month.
This Ruby Hall Clinic to Ramwadi stretch is expected to significantly benefit office-goers and students commuting along the Nagar Road corridor.
Meanwhile, Pune Metro, through its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, issued an announcement that due to the inauguration, Metro services between Civil Court and Ruby Hall stations shall not be operational between 9am to 12 noon. The services will resume and go up to Ramwadi from 12 noon onwards.
The Free Press Journal, meanwhile, got a sneak peek of the stretch on Tuesday before its inauguration.
PM to lay foundation stone for PCMC-Nigdi stretch
PM Modi will also lay the foundation stone for Pune Metro's Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to Nigdi (Bhakti Shakti Chowk) stretch tomorrow.
This pivotal extension, sanctioned by the Centre on October 23 last year, entails an elevated route encompassing four stations: Chinchwad, Akurdi, Nigdi, and Bhakti Shakti Chowk. The distances span 1.463km from PCMC to Chinchwad, 1.651km from Chinchwad to Akurdi, 1.062km from Akurdi to Nigdi, and 975 metres from Nigdi to Bhakti Shakti Chowk. With a total length of 4.413km, the project's cost is estimated at ₹910.18 crore.
The extension from Swargate to PCMC and further to Nigdi addresses a critical need, as many commuters travelling to Pune city areas rely on Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) buses from Nigdi, Akurdi, and Chinchwad.
