Pimpri-Chinchwad: Trial runs have already begun for Pune Metro Line 3, which will connect the Shivajinagar area to Pune's IT hub, Hinjawadi. On Friday, however, IT employees wrote a letter to Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) Commissioner Dr Yogesh Mhase demanding a phased opening of the new metro line.
According to available information, trial runs were successfully conducted from the Baner area to the Hinjawadi Maan area by Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited (PITCMRL) earlier this month. With Hinjawadi's traffic congestion issues growing day by day, residents and IT professionals have demanded that a phased start of this new metro line, from Baner to Hinjawadi, be implemented soon.
As of now, media reports and PMRDA insiders say that it will take until at least March 2026 for full operations of the third Pune Metro Line. This 23.3 km stretch still has pending works on the Shivajinagar to Baner section, while the majority of work has been completed in the Baner to Hinjawadi section. Officials claim that almost 90% of the work has been finished.
The Forum of IT Employees (FITE) has written a letter to PMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Yogesh Mhase stating that instead of starting the full 23 km stretch at once, the service should be started on the section that is ready.
FITE claims that Baner houses nearly 2 lakh employees working in Hinjawadi, and due to this very large IT population travelling daily to offices, traffic congestion problems are huge. The Hinjawadi Phase 3 to Baner stretch should be started as soon as possible.
Pavanjit Mane, Chairman of FITE, said, "It’s our sincere appeal to PMRDA and Metro officials to start the metro soon. The metro opening will be an early Diwali or Christmas gift for IT employees who boost the economy of this state and nation."
