Latest news with #Maha-Metro
Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Starting I-Day, Pune Metro to increase frequency during peak hours to six minutes
In a bid to increase commuter convenience, the Pune Metro will run trains every six minutes during peak hours from 9 am to 11 am and from 4 pm to 8 pm beginning this Independence Day on August 15, 2025. Whereas the non-peak interval of 10 minutes will remain unchanged. Currently, metro trains are run every seven minutes during peak hours from 9 am to 11 am and from 4 pm to 8 pm. This will significantly reduce waiting times and improve commuter comfort. (HT FILE) Shravan Hardikar, managing director, Maha-Metro, said, 'The consistent growth in passenger numbers reflects Pune Metro's increasing popularity. To meet this demand, we are adding more daily trips and introducing a train every six minutes during peak hours. This will significantly reduce waiting times and improve commuter comfort.' The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro) currently operates 490 trips daily on its two corridors namely Vanaz to Ramwadi and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to Swargate. With the new schedule, 64 additional trips will be introduced, increasing the total number of trips to 554 per day. Officials said the change will help reduce crowding and waiting times for commuters. The Maha-Metro has been preparing for the upgrade for the past two months, conducting multiple technical trials to ensure smooth operations. The move comes as metro ridership continues to increase — from 1.92 lakh daily passengers in July 2025 to an average of 2.13 lakh daily passengers thus far in August.
Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Indian Express
Pune metro to increase frequency during peak hours to address passenger rush
To cater to the increasing rush of passengers in the metro during peak hours, the Pune Metro Rail project has decided to increase a total of 64 trips of its services on the two routes and operate train service at every six minutes during peak hours from August 15. 'From August 15, Pune Metro will operate train services at a 6-minute headway during peak hours. This significant improvement means commuters will wait less and travel faster, with 54 extra trips daily across both lines. The change ensures smoother rides, especially during the busy Ganpati season,' said Shravan Hardikar, Managing Director of Maha-Metro. This increase in frequency of trips during peak hours will be between 8 am to 11 am and 4 pm to 8 pm when the trip will be every six minutes. However, the trip will continue to be every 10 minutes during non peak hours from 6 am to 8 am, 11 am to 4 pm and 8 pm to 11 pm. There were a total of 490 trips on both routes of PCMC–Swargate and Vanaz–Ramwadi corridors which span 33.2 km. Of the operation routes, 27.2 km is elevated and 6 km is underground, passing through key stations such as Shivaji Nagar, District Court, KasbaPeth, Mandai, and Swargate. 'With the entire Phase I now fully operational, Pune Metro serves over two lakh commuters every day, offering the city a safe, green, and efficient way to travel,' he said. The trials to reduce headway to six minutes have been ongoing for the last two months, he said, adding that after fulfilling all technical requirements, the headway time to 6 minutes is now going to be implemented from August 15. Hardikar said, 'The 6-minute headway during peak hours is a step towards making metro travel faster and more convenient for the people of Pune, there will be 13 per cent more trips in a day. The trips are now 490 trips and will be increased to 554 trips from August 15.'
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
230km network of cycle tracks proposed in revised CMP faces reality check
PUNE: According to the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) for the Pune Metropolitan Region (PMR) prepared in October 2018 and revised in June 2025, the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro) has proposed a 230 km network of cycle tracks within the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits, out of which only about 100 km has been built so far by the civic body, that too in short, disconnected stretches. Not only does this raise questions over the development of a fresh, continuous cycling network, it also highlights that more than 50% of the existing tracks have been rendered unusable either due to encroachment, lack of maintenance, or parking violations. Maha-Metro has proposed 230-km network of cycle tracks within PMC limits, of which only about 100 km has been built so far by the civic body. (MAHENDRA KOLHE/HT) The CMP revision, mandated under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs guidelines, was approved by the Pune Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (PUMTA) in June 2025 and presented to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on August 8 at Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (Yashada). Earlier, a PMC–ITDP (Institute for Transportation and Development Policy) survey of 11 arterial and sub-arterial roads carried out in October-November 2022 revealed that the existing cycle tracks were often blocked by vehicles or pedestrians, were discontinuous, or absent altogether in some areas. Safety gaps included poor street lighting, missing pedestrian crossings, and accident-prone junctions at Vaiduwadi Chowk and Kharadi Bypass. Common issues identified included encroachment by vendors and commercial activity, broken and narrow footpaths, poor enforcement of non-motorised transport zones, and hazards posed by speeding vehicles. The survey report recommended continuous, obstruction-free footpaths; dedicated USDG (urban sustainable development goal)-standard cycle tracks; strict enforcement of parking norms; strict action against vending in pedestrian/cycle spaces; traffic calming measures; better lighting and amenities such as cycle parking. A senior road department official said, 'The situation has not changed much since the 2022 survey. Nearly 60 km of the cycle tracks are currently unfit for use.' Another study by city NGO, Parisar, based on PMC data, showed that less than 10% of the target 230 km network of cycle tracks has been achieved with only 83 km of usable tracks in place—many of them poorly maintained or defunct. Ranajit Gadgil, programme director at an NGO, said, 'The plan looks good on paper but has failed in execution.'. He highlighted problems such as lack of continuity, obstructions, and poor separation from pedestrians. He said an independent study of the city's existing cycle tracks will be released in a couple of weeks, but initial findings show that there is no continuous network across Pune. Encroachments, parking violations, poor maintenance, and weak enforcement are major issues. He suggested that the PMC should first focus on maintaining the existing tracks and keeping them obstacle-free by forming a dedicated team for monitoring and enforcement. Without this the new plan would remain only on paper, he warned. Gadgil also pointed out that in 2017, PMC had introduced a Comprehensive Bicycle Plan aiming for an 824-km cycling network to raise the modal share of cycling from 3% to 25% by 2031. The plan included 531 km of segregated tracks, 154 km of marked lanes, 75 km of independent cycleways, 54 km of retrofitted tracks, and 11 km of combined footpath-cycle tracks. Till date however, only about 84 km of tracks exist and even these are in disconnected stretches, Gadgil said. Nikhil Mijar, traffic planner at PMC, said that the civic body has developed about 100 km of cycle tracks on roads in areas such as Kharadi, Nagar Road, Ganeshkhind Road, Satara Road, Hadapsar, Baner, and Aundh. However, he stressed that proper enforcement is essential to ensure that these tracks are used as intended.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Pune Metro likely to extend to Uruli Kanchan
Pune: Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said that the metro route be extended to Uruli Kanchan instead of stopping at Loni Kalbhor, citing the city's rising population and traffic bottlenecks on the Pune–Solapur highway. Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said metro route be extended to Uruli Kanchan instead of stopping at Loni Kalbhor citing the city's rising population and traffic issues. (HT FILE) 'Planning should account for increasing urbanisation in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad and corresponding infrastructure needs,' he said. Currently, Pune's metro covers 33 km, with another 33 km under construction. The proposal forms part of the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) for the Pune Metropolitan Region, submitted by Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro), which envisions 312 km of metro and metro-light corridors across the city by 2054. The plan also calls for upgrades to road, bus rapid transit, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure. Known for its BAIF research centre and agricultural base, Uruli Kanchan has been witnessing rapid urbanisation. Officials say extending metro services here could ease congestion, boost regional connectivity and promote balanced growth in east Pune. 'We will study the feasibility of extending the route beyond Loni to Uruli Kanchan in phases. We will prepare a detailed project report (DPR). PMRDA will have to send a request to us after that, we will continue the procedure,' said Atul Gadgil, director (works) Pune Metro. 'This will benefit daily commuters and open up new opportunities for economic growth in the eastern corridor,' he said.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Prepare 30-year mobility blueprint for Pune region: Fadnavis
Pune -Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis directed that the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) for Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad be finalised in coordination with all concerned departments. He emphasised the need for an integrated blueprint for grade separators, ring road separators, and tunnel separators. He also instructed that long-term measures be implemented to resolve traffic congestion, keeping in mind the next 30 years. Prepare 30-year mobility blueprint for Pune region: Fadnavis Fadnavis was speaking at the presentation of the 'Pune City Comprehensive Mobility Plan' organised by the Maha-Metro at the Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration. The meeting was attended by deputy chief minister and Pune district guardian minister Ajit Pawar; union minister of state for cooperation Murlidhar Mohol; state higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Dada Patil; Mitra organisation CEO Praveen Singh Pardeshi; chief secretary Rajesh Kumar; additional chief secretary (home) Iqbal Singh Chahal; director-general of police Rashmi Shukla; principal secretary Ashwini Bhide; Maha-Metro managing director Shravan Hardikar; and other senior officials. 'The mobility plan involves an estimated investment of ₹1.3 lakh crore, with ₹62,000 crore to be invested in the first phase. As per the plan, the target is to increase the share of public transport to 30% in the first phase, and eventually to 50%. Public transport services should be accessible within 500 metres for every individual. While the responsibilities of all departments should be clearly defined and the plan should aim to achieve an average speed of 30 kmph in metropolitan areas,' said Fadnavis. Ajit Pawar highlighted that the state government is committed to tackling traffic congestion by developing the Pune Metro network. 'The CMP includes a proposed metro line from Hadapsar to Loni Kalbhor. However, considering the city's growing population and increasing congestion on the Pune-Solapur highway, we are evaluating the possibility of extending the line from Hadapsar to Uruli Kanchan instead,' Pawar said. He also called for water supply planning to meet the growing needs of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad While Shravan Hardikar informed that the initial mobility plan was prepared in 2018. The revised plan now incorporates projections for 2054, considering population growth, road accidents, urbanisation trends, and corresponding expansions in the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) bus services, depots, metro services, and bus rapid transit system (BRTS) corridors. 'It also includes plans for the Purandar airport access road, ring road, missing link connections, cycling network, main market roads, truck terminals, logistics hubs, multi-modal integration hubs, public transport terminals, tourism development projects, employment generation, and anticipated growth in the IT sector. The plan covers an area of 2,550 square kilometres and has been submitted to the state government for approval,' said Hardikar. Pune municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal commissioner Shekhar Singh gave presentations on traffic management plans for their respective cities, while police commissioners Amitesh Kumar and Vinay Kumar Choubey presented details on measures to ease congestion within municipal limits and their implementation strategies. The meeting was also attended by MLAs Yogesh Tilak, Bhimrao Tapkir, Bapusaheb Pathare, and Hemant Rasane; divisional commissioner Dr Chandrakant Pulkundwar; Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) CEO Yogesh Mhase; Pune district collector Jitendra Dudi; and Zilla Parishad CEO Gajanan Patil among others.
