Pune Metro Line 3 recorded approximately 50,000 passengers on its first day of passenger services on Wednesday (November 4), indicating an encouraging response to the new corridor connecting Hinjewadi and Shivajinagar.

The response is particularly significant as services began during the Diwali festival holidays, when regular office and business activities across Pune remain relatively subdued.

District Court emerged as the busiest station on the corridor, recording nearly 25,000 passengers. The station serves as a major connectivity hub, providing access to Pune Railway Station and facilitating onward journeys to different parts of the city. (Pune News)

Anil Kumar Saini, Chief Executive Officer of Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited, said the response had been overwhelming, with citizens appreciating the seamless connectivity, comfortable journey and faster travel offered by the new metro corridor.

Ridership is expected to increase over the next two weeks as offices and businesses resume normal operations after the festival holidays. Anticipating higher passenger movement, Pune Metro Line 3 will increase train frequency to every five minutes during peak hours and every eight minutes during non-peak hours.

The corridor is expected to bring down end-to-end travel time to approximately 40 minutes, providing greater convenience to daily commuters, particularly IT professionals travelling between Hinjewadi and Shivajinagar.

The National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) facility also received a positive response, with passengers appreciating the convenience of using a single card for travel across all existing Pune Metro lines.

In another commuter-friendly initiative, Pune Metro Line 3 has permitted passengers to carry bicycles on trains in response to commuter demand. The facility is expected to encourage cycling and improve last-mile connectivity.

With 50,000 passengers on its opening day, Pune Metro Line 3 has made an encouraging start, even before regular office and business activities return to normal after Diwali. (Pune News)

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