Pune: Passenger services on the Shivajinagar–Hinjawadi Metro corridor (Pune Metro Line 3) are expected to begin in May 2026, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters after inaugurating the Metro Bhavan building in Pune, Fadnavis said the new metro line is aimed at reducing heavy traffic between Pune city and the Hinjewadi IT Park area.
According to available details, the 23-kilometre corridor is being developed by the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA). This project is India’s first metro project being built under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. The project is being implemented by Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited (PITCMRL), a consortium led by the Tata Group and Siemens.
CM Devendra Fadnavis said that work on the metro line is progressing quickly and the service will be introduced in phases.
The first phase, which covers about 12 kilometres, is expected to open for passengers in May 2026. The remaining 11-kilometre stretch is likely to become operational by July 2026, once the remaining work is completed.
The project was originally launched on November 25, 2021, with a target completion date of March 2025. After that, it was postponed to March 2026, but even that deadline will now be missed.
Public Frustration Mounting
Public frustration is at an all-time high as the PMRDA administration and all the people involved in the project repeatedly said that the project will keep its deadline. Officials reiterated that everything was going according to plan despite netizens raising questions.
Delays in construction and infrastructure work pushed the timeline slightly. Once operational, the metro line is expected to significantly ease daily travel for thousands of IT professionals commuting to Hinjawadi’s Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park, one of the largest IT hubs in the region.
Authorities said the project is currently in its final stages, with trial runs and finishing work underway at several stations along the corridor.
