Pune: The Pune IT City Metro Rail Corporation Limited (PITCMRL) has completed the construction of a 60-metre foot overbridge (FOB) at Wakad Metro Station to improve pedestrian safety and strengthen last-mile connectivity for commuters using Pune Metro Line 3.
The bridge, erected at the busy Wakad Chowk on the Mumbai-Bengaluru National Highway, directly connects the metro station to the opposite side of the highway. It will be open free of cost to both metro passengers and the general public.
Advantage To Pedestrians…
According to PITCMRL, the new bridge will provide a safe crossing for thousands of pedestrians who use Wakad Chowk daily. The junction has long been considered a difficult point for pedestrians because of heavy and fast-moving traffic on the national highway.
The bridge was constructed over two nights to minimise disruption to traffic. Work began on Saturday night and was completed in the early hours of Monday. Engineers connected both ends of the structure to the metro station while carrying out most of the work during the night due to the heavy traffic at the intersection.
Civil Works At Wakad Metro Station Completed…
PITCMRL said Wakad Chowk serves as a major entry point to western Pune and is an important boarding and drop-off location for government and private buses, shared cabs and other vehicles travelling to cities such as Mumbai, Nagpur, Bengaluru and Chennai. The new bridge is expected to provide safer access to the metro station for these passengers and support the development of Wakad as an integrated transport hub.
The authority also said that most civil works at Wakad Metro Station have been completed. Finishing work is in its final stages, and station signboards have already been installed, bringing the station close to operational readiness.
Wakad is one of the key stations on the 23.3-km Pune Metro Line 3 corridor connecting Hinjawadi and District Court. The station will be integrated with city bus services, feeder transport, private vehicles and pedestrian facilities. Owing to its location, it is expected to record one of the highest passenger footfalls on the corridor.
First Phase To Begin Soon…
Meanwhile, PITCMRL said end-to-end trial runs on the entire 23-km elevated Metro Line 3 have been successfully completed. The project is now awaiting the required statutory and regulatory approvals before commercial operations begin in phases.
In the first phase, metro services will commence on the 13.3-km stretch between Maan and the R. K. Laxman Museum, covering 12 stations. The remaining section up to District Court will be opened later and integrated with the existing Maha Metro network.
Once the entire corridor becomes operational, the travel time between Shivajinagar and Hinjawadi is expected to reduce from around 90 minutes to about 45 minutes, offering faster connectivity for IT professionals, students and daily commuters.
