Pune Metro Line 3 Launch Delayed as Final Safety Clearance Remains Pending
The 23.2 km Hinjawadi–Shivajinagar corridor cannot begin passenger services until the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety issues the mandatory final certificate, delaying a project delivered under a landmark public–private partnership.
Overview
- Project authorities say construction and successful trial runs on the elevated 23.2 km Line 3 are complete, but passenger operations earmarked for July are on hold while the CMRS issues its final safety certificate.
- A CMRS team has inspected the route multiple times and officials, including Pune IT City Metro Rail Ltd CEO Anil Kumar Saini, say the authority’s earlier observations have been addressed and a final visit and clearance are expected soon.
- The opening will be phased: 12 of the line’s 23 stations from the Hinjawadi side will form phase one and the remaining 11 stations are targeted to go into service in October.
- Line 3 is being built and will be operated under Pune IT City Metro Ltd, a Tata–Siemens joint venture, making it India’s first metro delivered under a public–private partnership and raising focus on how regulatory delays affect such models.
- Once cleared, the corridor will link Hinjawadi’s IT hub with Shivajinagar and connect to existing Lines 1 and 2, cutting commute times for lakhs of passengers and easing city traffic congestion.