Disappointment for commuters as Pune Metro services to Shivajinagar to be delayed by two months
COMMUTERS in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad who were eagerly waiting for Metro rail services up to Shivajinagar to get started in the New Year are in for a big disappointment. It will take at least another two months or could be even more for Pune Metro service to run up to Shivajinagar, the hub of Pune city, officials said.
“Currently, the trial run for Metro service from Pimpri to Shivajinagar is underway. After the trial runs are over, we will send the report to the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety who will inspect the system and then give a green signal. All this will need more than two months’ time,” Maha Metro spokesperson Hemant Sonawane told The Indian Express Friday.
The trial run between Pimpri and Shivajinagar started on December 31. The trial runs are carried out to ensure that the system is full-proof so that the service can be started full-fledged on the route. “The trial runs are carried out either on consecutive days or at intervals. If we find anything amiss, corrective steps are immediately initiated. Only after we find that there is nothing wrong with the system during the trial runs, will we then invite the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety to inspect the system. After this, we will wait for the Commissioner to give his report. If he suggests any corrective steps, we will be initiating the same,” the same.
Thousands of commuters, especially office-goers and college students, who move to and from Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad have been waiting for the service to resume between Pimpri and Shivajinagar. Currently, the Metro service runs only between Pimpri and Phugewadi, for a distance of six kilometres. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi nine months ago.
Since then, Maha Metro has been promising to operate services up to Shivajinagar, which will be a game-changer. Initially, the Metro officials indicated that they would start the service from Diwali. Then, the date was extended year-end or in the New Year.
However, Brijesh Dixit, managing director of Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd, has said that they are making efforts to start the service as early as possible.
The officials cite certain impediments to put the project on track. “Last month, the contractors supplying sand went on strike. It resulted in a delay of 15 days. Such hurdles keep cropping up. The Metro work has been completed up to 85 per cent,” Sonwane said.
The inauguration, the officials said, was a political decision. “Our job is to get the work completed as soon as possible. We don’t look into the inauguration part,” Sonawane said.
College students, on the other hand, eagerly look forward to the Metro services to Shivajinagar as it would help thousands of students to reach their institutions on time. “Currently, due to heavy traffic jams between Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, students are finding it difficult to reach their college on time. The PMPML buses and the local trains are also running to full capacity,” said Suraj Karale, a college student.
