KEOLIS India has signed a 10-year deal to operate Pune metro Line 3/Pink with Pune IT City Metro Rail (PITCMRL), a joint venture between Tata and Siemens, and Pune Metro Region Development Authority (PMRDA). The contract is worth Rs 10bn ($US 121m).
The 23.3km Line 3 is currently under construction by means of a public-private partnership (PPP) and will run from Hinjanwadi to Civil Court, serving 23 stations. Completion is due by March 2026. Following two successful trial runs, PMRDA last month unveiled the first of 22 Alstom Metropolis three-car metro trains, built at the firm’s Sri City plant in southern India.
Two-phase strategy
Metro development in Pune has received a major stimulus in recent years, with a two-phase development strategy being overseen by Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (Maha Metro). Following approval in August 2024 of a Rs 29.5bn ($US 335.8m) plan to construct an underground 5.46km extension of Line 1/Purple, connecting Swargate to Katraj in the city’s southern suburbs, in June the Indian government approved an Rs 36.2bn project to extend Line 2/Aqua by 12.75 km.
The Line 1 extension includes three new stations at Market Yard, Bibwewadi and Balaji Nagar. The project, which is scheduled for completion in February 2029, is being jointly financed by the national and Maharashtra governments, with support from bilateral funding agencies under a public investment model.
Official projections suggest that daily ridership will increase from 95,000 passengers in 2027 to 158,000 in 2037, 187,000 in 2047 and 197,000 in 2057.
The approved extension of Line 2 includes two new sections of line, both due to be completed in 2029: a 1.1km western section from Vanaz to Chandni Chowk, serving two new stations, and a 11.6km eastern section from Ramwadi to Vitthalwadi via Wagholi, serving 11 new stations.
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