595716 commuters travelled in Pune Metro in one month
Jigar Hindocha
A total of 595716 commuters travelled in the last one month on two metro routes Garware college to Vanaz depot (5km) and PCMC to Phugewadi (7km) which were inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 6.
The response to Garware college to Vanaz depot has been more as compared to Pimpri to Phugewadi (See box). Out of a total 31 km route, currently, the 12-kilometre route is operational with both the routes having 5 stations each respectively.
Line 1: PCMC, Sant Tukaram Nagar, Bhosari (Nashik Phata), Kasarwadi, Phugewadi; Line 2: Vanaz, Anand Nagar, Ideal Colony, Nal Stop, Garware College.
“In the next six months, Line 1 and Line 2 will be extended further. The work on all the stations is going on at a rapid speed. In the first month, we have received a very good response,” said Hemant Sonawane, general manager (PR) at Maha Metro.
“The upgradation of the stations will continue, however, the facilities which are currently placed at the station are sufficient to manage the current workload,” added Sonawane.
The second part of the two corridors is expected to be completed by December 2022. The entire cost of the project is estimated to be Rs11,400 crore.
It was five years ago in 2016 that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), in collaboration with the Maha Metro, began work on the two corridors (totalling a distance of 31km) with PM Modi visiting Pune to lay the foundation stone of the metro.
Total passengers till April 6: 595,716
Line 1 (PCMC to Phugewadi) 167,802
Line 2 (Vanaz to Garware) 407,474
Mobile Ticket: 20,602
Total revenue till April 6: Rs 8,494,870
