PIB approves Pune metro’s Pimpri Chinchwad to Nigdi route
By: Pune Pulse
September 7, 2023
Pune: The Public Investment Board (PIB) has approved the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation-Nigdi route of the Pune Metro. It has been reported that the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is expected to finalize the approval soon.
According to the information received, the commencement of work on the route is anticipated within the next three months. However, it has been suggested that the Swargate to Katraj route of the Metro may face delays. Currently, the Pune Metro service operates from Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to Civil Court and Vanaz to Ruby Hall in the first phase.
These routes will be extended from Civil Court to Swargate and Ruby Hall to Ramwadi. The work on the extension from Ruby Hall to Ramwadi is in its final stages and will be completed within a month. Simultaneously, the work on the extension from Civil Court to Swargate is also in its final stage and will be completed by December.
Following the completion of these two extended lines, the Metro will undergo testing before the service commences. Hemant Sonawane, Pune Metro’s PRO informed that the extended service on these two routes will commence by the end of this year.
MahaMetro has proposed further expansion of the routes in the first phase, and the proposal has been sent to the central government for approval. The Public Investment Board has approved the proposal for the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation to Nigdi route, which will soon be recommended to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The tendering process will commence once the ministry finalizes the approval.
As per the sources, work on the route is likely to commence within the next three months. The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation to Nigdi route will be an elevated metro line with a cost of Rs 910 crore, and therefore, it does not require the approval of the Prime Minister’s Office. However, the Swargate to Katraj route will be an underground metro line with a cost of Rs 3,663 crore, making it more expensive and will face delays.
