According to Hindustan Times, Pune Metro line 3 opened to passengers on Wednesday and drew an enthusiastic response on its first day. Women commuters, IT professionals, children and foreign nationals were among those who took their first ride on the 23.2 km corridor between Hinjewadi and Shivajinagar.

Service start and station welcome

Passenger services began at 6 am at the same time from Maan and District Court stations. Officials of Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited (PITCMRL) were on site to greet the first riders, and passengers were welcomed with flowers. Hindustan Times reports that flower petals were also showered on trains as they arrived at the platforms.

Route and who it serves

The line links Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park in Hinjewadi with Shivajinagar. It is expected to offer an alternative to road travel, especially for IT professionals moving between the city and the Hinjewadi IT hub. The elevated corridor has 23 stations, running from Maan in Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar.

Ridership on the first day

According to PITCMRL officials, both District Court and Maan stations recorded encouraging passenger footfall. Ridership was relatively low during the morning hours and rose steadily as the day went on.

Commuters who rode the line shared their views. Sushma Sorte, an IT professional, said the service will help reduce commuting time and that she appreciated that the service is operated entirely by women. Sandeep Pathke, a Pashan resident, was the first passenger to buy a ticket at the District Court station counter. He described the metro as clean and the atmosphere as pleasant.

Background to the project

Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the corridor on November 3 at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Mahalunge. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Ajit Pawar, and Union minister of state Murlidhar Mohol also attended. According to Hindustan Times, the project is India's first metro implemented under the public-private partnership model in line with the National Metro Rail Policy, 2017, and it follows the design, build, finance, operate and transfer framework.