PMRDA submits draft DPR of extension of Pune Metro rail corridor III

Pune (Urban Transport News): The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) has submitted the draft detailed project report (DPR) to Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for extension of the corridor III (Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar) of Pune Metro Rail Project till Hadapsar. PMRDA has sought suggestions from the PCB and PMC on extending the Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar Metro corridor to Hadapsar.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which was appointed as project consultant for this corridor in 2015, had prepared a draft detailed project report (DPR) suggesting the extension. However, officials from PMRDA said that they are awaiting "suggestions and comments" from PCB and PMC. According to the original plan, the government had sanctioned a 23 km elevated Metro rail corridor from the IT hub of Hinjewadi to Civil Court in Shivajinagar.

The revised draft DPR suggests additional 14 km corridor connecting Hinjewadi to the Hadapsar Industrial Hub under the extension plan. Explaining the importance of extension plan, a PMRDA official said,

The extension would connect Shivajinagar to Phursungi or Saswad Road. This will boost connectivity to the Phursungi IT park and even to the proposed Purandar airport. The draft DPR has been submitted to he local authorities (PMC and PCB) for their comments, as the proposed extension will pass through both their jurisdictions. Once PCB and PMC give their suggestions, we will forward them to DMRC, which will include it in the final draft of the DPR. The state government will then clear the proposal. The project will be taken up only in the second phase of the work on this Metro line.

After completion of a passenger survey and a feasibility study and, taking into account citizens' demands to connect the two IT hubs of Hinjewadi and Phursungi, the DMRC had prepared a draft DPR, suggesting an extension of the corridor till Hadapsar. Another official from PMRDA said,

If the Metro line is extended, the cost of the project will increase. The state government will have to decide whether the second phase of the project too will be implemented on the public-private partnership basis.

At the moment, the Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar corridor of Pune Metro rail project costs Rs 260 crore per kilometre. If the 14 km extension approved, it will add arround Rs 3,000 crore to the project cost. According the present DPR, the Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar corridor will comprise 23 stations, while the 14 km extension will have a further 14 stations.

The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha Metro) is developing remaining first two Metro corridors - Pimpri-Swargate and Vanaz-Ramwadi which will further intersect with the PMRDA line at the Civil Court station, which is being planned as a multi-modal transport hub.