By Ishita Malakar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on September 29, 2024, officially inaugurated the new phase of Pune Metro, which runs from Pimpri-Chinchwad to Swargate and Ramwadi to Vanaz. Beginning January 26, 2025, the Pune Metro Service is all set to extend their operational hours till 11 pm, daily.
The statement was released by the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha Metro). Under both the phases operating currently, the metro service begins from 6am and the last metro departs at 10pm. This one-hour extension has been a long withstanding demand by the daily passengers and commuters who use this mode of transport every day. This is going to hugely benefit the commuters who travel till late at night or long distances, including those travelling via trains or flyers even.
This extension comes as a part of the broader strategy which is to improve the accessibility and convenience, especially for those commuters who depend daily on the public transportation services, also for those travelling after normal office hours. There will be a metro every seven minutes during the peak running hours, which is typically around 8am to 11am in the morning and 4pm to 8pm in the evenings. The frequency during off peak hours will remain between every 10 minutes.
In order to also encourage digital ticketing, the Pune Metro Service also offered special discounts and prices on tickets for Republic Day. On Republic Day, the One Pune Transit Card was available at just ₹20, which is a lot cheaper than its usual rates. This card is a smart card that can be used by passengers to travel faster and more efficiently without the need for buying tickets every time they travel. It also reduces the need for the users to carry cash every time they travel or to buy tickets for every single ride while travelling.
This extension and the improved services marks a milestone for Pune’s public transportation system, enhancing accessibility and convenience for daily commuters and users of the metro facility.