Pune Pink Line opens to public; IT commuters press for better last-mile links

By The Metro Map newsroom · November 4, 2026, 20:32

Early Pink Line riders in Pune report shorter trips, but say feeder services and footpaths still need work, according to The Times of India.

According to The Times of India, the Pink Line of the Pune Metro opened to public operations on Wednesday. Early riders, including IT professionals, said the trip spared them road traffic, but they still face gaps between stations and their homes or offices.

First-day experience

IT professional Anita Jangid travelled from R K Laxman station to Maan in about 20 minutes. She still had to walk from home to R K Laxman and from Maan to her workplace, and said shuttle services would have improved the trip. Another commuter, Sharanmeet Garcha, said she currently spends around Rs180 a day on travel and expects this to fall to about Rs90 with the Metro, provided feeder links improve.

Feeder services and stations

Pavanjit Mane, president of the Forum for IT Employees, said the focus must now shift to making stations easy to reach. He said ridership would rise once the remaining stations serving Baner IT parks open over the next couple of months. Balewadi High Street station, expected to serve around 50,000 to 60,000 IT employees in the Baner-Balewadi area, is likely to open in about a month.

According to the report, PMPML has started Metro shuttle services on 12 routes. These link residential areas such as Mahalunge-VTP, Joyville on Maan Road, Blue Ridge and Life Republic with stations including Shivaji Chowk and Croma. Another route connects Mahalunge-Sus with the Balewadi stadium area.

Footpaths and foot overbridges

Footpath design work is under way, and the district collector is due to review it within two to three weeks. Work on the ground is expected to begin in the first or second week of December, according to Mane. Three foot overbridges have been provided at Wakad, Balewadi and Civil Court stations, and another is planned at Shivajinagar.

Wider plans

The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) plans to work with PMPML, autorickshaw unions and other transport operators to connect stations with offices and residential areas. PMRDA and the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) have planned a Rs426-crore last-mile connectivity project for Hinjewadi, to which both agencies are expected to contribute equally. The district collector has also asked PMPML to assess demand for an intercity bus transit hub at Wakad or MITCON-Balewadi station.

Sources

Focus shifts to last-mile links as Pink Line Metro makes public debut — The Times of India — Pune

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