According to The Times of India Pune, passengers on the first day of services on the Pink Line of Pune Metro reported shorter journeys to work, particularly for trips to the Hinjewadi IT park. The line runs for 23 km from Maan to Civil Court. Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated it on Tuesday, and passenger services began on Wednesday morning.

Commuters report faster trips to Hinjewadi

IT professional Mahesh Deshmukh boarded a Pink Line train at Civil Court station and reached Hinjewadi Phase-I in about 40 minutes, avoiding the usual road congestion. Several other commuters on the Civil Court-Maan stretch told The Times of India that their travel time had dropped by at least half an hour. Sayli Shah said the trip from Wakad Chowk to Hinjewadi Phase-II was also comfortable, and she hopes the line will ease the traffic that usually builds up on that route during rush hours.

Switching lines at Civil Court

According to The Times of India, many riders moved to the new line from the two existing Pune Metro routes, Vanaz to Ramwadi and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation to Swargate, by changing at Civil Court station. A connecting foot overbridge between the old routes and the Pink Line lets passengers change trains within the station concourse without leaving the premises. Some travellers asked for more direction boards to help them find their way.

Mixed results for some trips

Not every commuter saw a large saving. Ajay Agarwal, who travels from Koregaon Park to an office in Balewadi, now takes a Metro from Kalyaninagar to Civil Court and then the Pink Line to Balewadi. He said the trip took about 30 minutes by Metro, against an estimated 30 to 45 minutes by bike, so the time gain was small, but he found the Metro more comfortable.

Station staff and information

A Metro employee at Civil Court said footfall was significant in the morning hours, and staff spent time explaining how to buy tickets and where stations were located. Senior citizen Ashok Shinde, who rode from Civil Court to Balewadi, said the staff deployed at each station were helpful and that the in-train announcements assisted him during the trip.