Pune: The Swargate metro station and multimodal hub will be operational by September 2024, claim Pune Metro officials. Swargate is the last metro station which is a part of the partially operational Pimpri-Shivajinagar-Swargate Metro route. The Shivajinagar to Swargate stretch of Pune metro is underground and 3.64 kilometres in length.
The Pune Metro is witnessing increased ridership despite being partially operational. According to Pune Metro officials, 17.5 lakh citizens availed Pune Metro services in January 2024, and these numbers have now crossed 26.16 lakh in May 2024. The daily revenue of Pune Metro has now touched ₹ 14 lakh.
The second line of Pune Metro, Vanaz to Ramwadi, is also witnessing growth in ridership. The Yerawada station, which is a part of this metro line, will be operational by July end. The delay was caused after Pune Municipal Corporation requested the relocation of the entrance stairs of Yerawada station.
The entry-exit gate work could not be initiated due to the Model Code of Conduct imposed after announcement of Loksabha elections. The previous design of entrance stairs would have caused traffic congestion as it was obstructing the road traffic. The relocation work is underway and expected to complete in July.
With Yerawada and Swargate metro station work nearing completion, the two lines of Pune Metro would be fully functional and is expected to boost daily ridership and revenues of Pune Metro. It may be recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the partial lines of Pune Metro before General Elections 2024.