Good News for Punekars! Union Cabinet approves Pune Metro extension; IT hubs, institutions to benefit – details here

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved Phase 2 of the Pune Metro Rail Project, which will extend the existing Vanaz–Ramwadi corridor. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Phase 2 includes two elevated corridors: Vanaz to Chandani Chowk and Ramwadi to Wagholi/Vitthalwadi.

These two corridors will span 12.75 km and include 13 stations, covering suburbs such as Chandani Chowk, Bavdhan, Kothrud, Kharadi, and Wagholi.

According to an official statement, the Phase-2 project is scheduled to be completed in four years. The estimated cost of the project is ₹3,626.24 crore, which will be equally shared by the Centre, the Maharashtra government, and external bilateral or multilateral agencies.

“This strategic proposal is a logical extension of the existing Corridor-2 and aligns with the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP), which envisions a continuous Chandani Chowk to Wagholi Metro corridor to strengthen East–West mass transit in Pune,” the statement said.

“These extensions will serve key IT hubs, commercial areas, educational institutions, and residential pockets, increasing the share of public transport and ridership across the network,” it added.

Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro) will implement the project and execute all civil, electromechanical, and related works.

To enable seamless multimodal urban travel, the new corridors will be integrated at the District Court Interchange Station with Line-1 (Nigdi–Katraj) and Line-3 (Hinjewadi–District Court).

Under the long-term mobility plan, intercity bus services from cities such as Mumbai and Bengaluru will also be integrated at the Chandani Chowk metro station.

While buses from Ahilya Nagar and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar will connect at Wagholi station.

“These extensions will also help decongest arterial routes such as Paud Road and Nagar Road, offering safe, fast, and eco-friendly mobility options,” the statement said.

“After completion of these corridors, the projected incremental daily ridership for the entire Line 2 is estimated at 0.96 lakh in 2027, 2.01 lakh in 2037, 2.87 lakh in 2047, and 3.49 lakh in 2057,” it added.