Pune Metro Sees Surge in Ridership; Citizens Demand Extended Night Service Hours
Pune, 1st October 2024: Following the inauguration of the extended metro line from Swargate to the District Court, citizens have quickly embraced the new route. On Sunday (29th September), around 17,470 passengers used the metro between 4 pm and 11 pm.
In light of the increasing demand, passengers are now requesting an extension of the night metro service until 12 am. However, Mahametro officials have stated that extending the service is currently not feasible due to daily maintenance work and technical requirements.
Mahametro has been overseeing the completion of two key metro routes: the 17.5 km stretch from Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to Swargate and the 14.5 km stretch from Vanaz to Ramwadi. These routes have gradually been opened to the public over the past two years, with the final phase inaugurated on Sunday.
As the number of metro passengers has increased, the average daily ridership has risen to 1.57 lakh. The metro journey from PCMC to Swargate now takes 34 minutes, while the Vanaz to Ramwadi trip takes 37 minutes.
Commuters have expressed satisfaction with the new service, particularly because it has alleviated traffic congestion along these routes. With the metro now operating at full capacity on both routes, there is growing demand to increase both the frequency and operational hours of the service.
Previously, metro services were available only from Pimpri-Chinchwad to the District Court. With the recent extension to Swargate, Mahametro has announced a revised schedule. The metro will now operate for 16 hours a day, from 6 am to 10 pm, on both routes.
PCMC to Swargate Route: The metro will run at 10-minute intervals during off-peak hours (6 am to 8 am, 11 am to 4 pm, and 8 pm to 10 pm). During peak hours (8 am to 11 am and 4 pm to 8 pm), trains will run every 7 minutes.
Vanaz to Ramwadi Route: Similarly, the metro will run every 10 minutes during off-peak hours (6 am to 8 am, 11 am to 4 pm, and 8 pm to 10 pm) and every 7 minutes during peak hours (8 am to 11 am and 4 pm to 8 pm).
