Pune Metro Line 3 Ready for 17-Station Launch, Nearly 100 Women Trained as Pilots as Opening Wait Continues
Pune: Pune Metro Line 3 is now preparing to begin passenger operations with 17 of its 23 stations, up from the 12 stations originally planned for the first opening. Nearly 100 women have also been recruited and trained to operate trains on the Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar corridor.
The project, however, is still waiting to start passenger services.
The first 12 stations received the mandatory safety clearance from the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) on July 23, 2026. Passenger operations did not begin after the clearance as the project awaited a date for a formal inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
During this waiting period, work progressed on another five stations, which are now being prepared for safety inspection. This has increased the planned initial operational stretch from 12 to 17 stations.
A fresh complication emerged in late September after the Model Code of Conduct came into force for the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections for Graduates’ and Teachers’ constituencies. The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) is seeking guidance from the Election Commission on whether the Metro launch can proceed during the poll code period.
The situation has also brought into focus the distinction between holding a formal inauguration and beginning passenger operations on a Metro corridor that has received the required safety clearance for its first set of stations.
Nearly 100 women trained to operate Line 3 trains
Metro Line 3 will have an all-women train-pilot workforce, with nearly 100 women recruited and trained to operate trains on the corridor.
The women have undergone training for their roles as train pilots and will operate services once the line opens to passengers.
17 stations planned for initial operations
Metro Line 3 has 23 stations along its 23.23-km route. Under the revised phased opening plan, 17 stations are proposed to become operational initially.
Six stations will remain closed during the initial phase:
- Laxmi Nagar
- Balewadi Phata
- Baner Gaon
- Baner
- Reserve Bank of India
- Shivajinagar
The phased approach will allow services to begin on the completed portion instead of waiting for all 23 stations to become operational.
India’s first Metro project under 2017 policy on PPP model
Pune Metro Line 3 is the first Metro project in India being executed under the Central Government’s New Metro Rail Policy, 2017, through the Public-Private Partnership model.
The project is being implemented on a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis under a 35-year concession.
Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited (PITCMRL), a joint venture between Tata Group’s TRIL and Siemens, is the Special Purpose Vehicle for the project.
19.2-km road improvement plan around IT park stations
Work is also being planned to improve access to Metro stations in and around the Rajiv Gandhi IT Park.
PMRDA has floated a tender for preparing a Detailed Project Report for improvements covering a 19.2-km road network around eight key IT park Metro stations. The proposed work includes pedestrian paths, cycle tracks and street lighting.
The stations covered include Megapolis Circle, Quadron Circle, Shivaji Chowk and Hinjawadi.
Private IT companies in the Rajiv Gandhi IT Park are also building direct footbridges connecting their office buildings with Metro station concourses.
These connections, along with the proposed road improvements, are intended to provide access between workplaces and Metro stations once Line 3 begins passenger operations.
