By Pragati Saha
Pune Metro Line 3 will be operated by women loco drivers, which will link the Central business district of Shivaji Nagar with the IT hub of Hinjewadi, as stated by Keolis. The French firm has got the contract to run the service for a decade.
This was announced on Thursday by the Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited (PITCMRL) after a partnership took place between Tata and Siemens, which finalised the deal with Keolis. Overall, 1000 will be taking part in the operation and maintenance of Line 3 which is set to begin from March 2026. A minimum of 100 women will be hired and trained for the position, as the company said its an “unprecedented initiative in India”.
According to the agreement which took place, between PITCMRL and Keolis, Keolis will supervise the maintenance of 22 trains, 23 stations and the ticketing system for a decade. PITCMRL serves as the concessionaire for the PPP-based Pune Metro project, which is for 35 years.
The 23-km Line 3, which is currently under development, has 23 stations from ShivajiNagar to Mann and the trials are in progress. This project is one of the very few metros in the country that is being run through the PPP model, and it is being expanded by the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority. The line is aiming to reduce the travel time between Pune’s Central Area to Hinjewadi, where at least 1.5 lakh IT professionals reside.
Anil Kumar Saini, CEO of PITCMRL, said, “The French company, having expertise in the field, is providing the same service for the Hyderabad Metro.”
The corridor, which has seen significant growth in large residential areas, is now suffering from connectivity issues and traffic. Authorities think that the metro will not only ease daily travel, but it will also bring the economy along in its route.
In Pune, Line 1 and Line 2- Vanaz-Ramwadi and Pimpri Chinchwad-Swargate are functioning under the Maha Metro run by the state. Line 3 will be the city’s first PPP-based metro. A line of 4 km from Khadakwasla to Kharadi via Hadapsar has been proposed at this time.