By Shweta Jena
Women loco pilots will be recruited to drive Metro Line 3 from Shivajinagar to Hinjewadi, as per Keolis, a French mobility operator, declared after getting a ten-year contract to operate that line.
The Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited (PITCMRL), a Tata-Siemens venture that has a contract with Keolis, acknowledged this on Thursday.
“The Metro on Line 3 will be operated entirely by women, which is a notable and remarkable move in India. To ensure their effective and lasting integration, Kelolis has announced plans to recruit, train, and provide continuing support for approximately 100 female train pilots.”
For ten years, Keolis will manage the 22 trains, 23 stations, and ticketing system in accordance with the agreement with PITCMRL. For thirty-five years, PITCMRL has been the sponsor for the PPP-based Pune Metro project.
Trial runs are now being conducted for the 23-km Line 3, which is presently under construction and contains 23 stops from Shivajinagar to Mann. It is being developed by the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) and is one of the few metro projects in the nation using the PPP approach.
With approximately five lakh passengers per day, the Hyderabad Metro is the third busiest network in the nation. Keolis started commercial operations of the network in 2017.
In Pune, there are now two Metro lines in use: Pimpri Chinchwad to Swargate, and Vanaz to Ramwadi. The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (Maha-Metro), a government agency, is responsible for the construction and operation of the metro rail system. While a plan for Line 4 from Khadakwasla to Kharadi via Hadapsar has been presented, work has already begun to extend the route for the two lines.
Due to road congestion and connectivity issues, Line 3 is expected to significantly reduce travel time once it is operational between Shivajinagar and the IT cluster in Hinjewadi. Additionally, it is anticipated to stimulate economic activity along the alignment.