CM Fadnavis Directs PMRDA to Complete Metro Line 3 Work by March-End 2026 Deadline
CM Fadnavis Directs PMRDA to Complete Metro Line 3 Work by March-End 2026 Deadline
With Pune’s rapid urban expansion placing growing pressure on transport and civic infrastructure, the Maharashtra government has reiterated its commitment to fast-tracking key projects across the metropolitan region. At the center of this push is Pune Metro Line 3, which has been asked to meet its planned completion timeline so that commuters can begin using the service by the end of March 2026.
During a recent planning committee meeting of the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reviewed the progress of the metro corridor connecting Hinjawadi and Shivajinagar (Civil Court). He stressed that the project must stay aligned with its original purpose—providing reliable and efficient public transport in the interest of citizens—and directed officials to ensure there are no delays in execution.
Metro Line 3, popularly known as the Puneri Metro, is a 23.3-kilometre-long elevated corridor featuring 23 stations. Designed to link Pune’s IT hub at Hinjawadi with the city’s core at Civil Court, the line is being developed under a public-private partnership (PPP) model. The project is being executed by Pune IT City Metro Rail Ltd, a joint venture between Tata Group and Siemens.
Progress on the corridor has already crossed a significant milestone. In July 2025, PMRDA successfully conducted the first trial run of Line 3 on the Hinjawadi–Shivajinagar stretch, marking a crucial step toward operational readiness.
Beyond the metro project, the chief minister used the meeting to outline a much broader development roadmap for the Pune metropolitan region. He announced that ₹32,523 crore has been sanctioned for 220 development projects spanning transport, housing, water supply and urban mobility.
Among the specific directives issued, Fadnavis instructed PMRDA to immediately begin work on a service road along the Mumbai–Bangalore bypass near the Navale Bridge, an accident-prone stretch. He also said that the flyover at the Pune University junction should be opened for public use at the earliest, without waiting for a formal inauguration. Additionally, PMRDA has been asked to prepare a comprehensive mobility plan for the city to better manage future traffic and transport needs.
The PMRDA general body meeting also cleared sewage treatment projects worth ₹1,209.8 crore for 27 villages in the metropolitan area. These works are expected to benefit nearly 39.42 lakh residents by improving sanitation and environmental conditions.
Currently, PMRDA has already initiated 127 projects, including the development of 589 km of roads, an 83 km-long ring road, three bridges, affordable housing schemes and water supply works. Plans are also in place to develop 17 major road junctions to ease congestion across the region.
Further proposals include the development of 10 tourist destinations, five multimodal transport hubs, a skywalk, and river improvement projects covering the Mula, Mutha, Pawana and Indrayani rivers. PMRDA has also carried out a feasibility study for a 20-kilometre road tunnel between Yerwada and Katraj, aimed at reducing traffic load on existing city roads. The estimated cost of this tunnel project is around ₹7,500 crore.
