Pune Metro Initiates Comprehensive Mobility Plan To Address Growing Population and Traffic Challenges

Pune, 3rd November 2023: Pune Metro is actively engaged in the formulation of a Comprehensive Mobility Plan to address the traffic challenges arising from the continuous population growth in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. The comprehensive plan is expected to be finalized within the next six months. Following its completion, new metro lines will be constructed, with a proposal currently under consideration for a metro line stretching from Nigdi to Hinjawadi, as confirmed by Shravan Hardikar, the Managing Director of Mahametro.

The city’s population is expanding by approximately 700,000 residents annually, necessitating a comprehensive traffic survey. This survey will focus on assessing the flow of various vehicles such as two-wheelers, four-wheelers, buses, trucks, and three-wheelers, along with the pedestrian traffic, on the main roads within the city. It will involve the use of CCTV cameras at specific times to collect data. The development of the new metro line will be determined based on areas with the highest traffic demand, with the Kasarwadi metro station already experiencing high levels of activity.

Furthermore, the plan includes the development of the ‘Neo Metro’ project connecting Nashik Phata to Chakan and Circular Roads (HCMTR), with the Detailed Project Report (DPR) already prepared for this expansion.

Discussions are underway to encourage industrial workers in Pimpri-Chinchwad to use the metro for their daily commute. The goal is for these workers to take the metro to Vallabh Nagar and then transfer to private company buses for the last leg of their journey.

Shravan Hardikar emphasized the importance of promoting metro usage as a means to alleviate traffic congestion, taking inspiration from the successful model in Delhi. In Delhi, commuters predominantly access the metro on foot or via public transport, reducing the demand for parking facilities at metro stations. Efforts are being made to establish pedestrian pathways and facilitate access to the metro station via PMP buses and rickshaws.

Shravan Hardikar, Managing Director of Mahametro, said “The tendering process for the metro extension to Nigdi has commenced. Space is not a problem; land acquisition is primarily required for station access. The actual construction work is slated to begin in three months, with completion expected within three and a half years.”