Cabinet approves Pune Metro Phase-2 corridors
The Union Cabinet Wednesday approved two Pune Metro Phase-2 corridors, with a total length of 12.75 km and estimated project cost of `3,626.24 crore.
The Vanaz to Chandani Chowk and Ramwadi to Wagholi/Vitthalwadi corridors were approved at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two corridors will have 13 stations and connect 'fast-developing suburbs such as Chandani Chowk, Bavdhan, Kothrud, Kharadi and Wagholi', a government statement said.
The project is estimated to take four years to complete, it said. The costs would be borne by the Union government, Maharashtra government and external bilateral/multilateral agencies.
'These extensions will serve key IT hubs, commercial areas, educational institutions, and residential pockets, increasing the share of public transport and ridership across the network. The new corridors will also integrate at the District Court Interchange Station with Line-1 (Nigdi–Katraj) and Line-3 (Hinjewadi–District Court) to enable seamless multimodal urban travel. Under long-term mobility planning, intercity bus services from cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru will be integrated at Chandani Chowk, while those from Ahilya Nagar and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar will connect at Wagholi, allowing passengers to easily access Pune's Metro system,' the statement read.
Announcing the decision at a press briefing, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Pune Metro had an operational network of 33.28 km under Line 1 and Line 2. Another 33 km was under construction, he said. The corridors approved on Wednesday would be extensions to Line 2.
When these corridors are completed, the daily ridership on Line 2 was projected to grow from 96,000 in 2027 to 2.01 lakh in 2037, 2.87 lakh in 2047 and 3.49 lakh in 2057, the government statement said.
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