Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar line work to start from January

Pune: The PMRDA will start work on the Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar Metro corridor from January next year, for which the consortium of Tata Group firm TRIL Urban Transport and Siemens Project Ventures were awarded the contract on Wednesday.

“Since the Lok Sabha and assembly elections are scheduled next year, we have planned to hold the ground-breaking ceremony in November this year, following which the work on the corridor will start from January,” PMRDA commissioner Kiran Gitte said.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis handed over the official letter for work contract to the consortium at a meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday. “The work on car sheds and laying of Metro lines should start from next year, ahead of the announcement of elections,” Gitte added.

The PMRDA commissioner will apply for revised budget in December to get sanctions for the funds before the model code of conduct kicks in.

Rs 8,313-crore project

The Rs 8,313-crore project is aimed at addressing the traffic problems faced by nearly 2 lakh IT professionals working at the Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park in Hinjewadi. This will also be the first project in the country to be implemented under the Metro Policy of 2017, which aims to lessen the financial burden on the Centre.

The elevated Metro line, which will be 23.3km long with 23 stations, is based on public-private-partnership (PPP) model. It will originate from Hinjewadi IT park and run up to Shivajinagar via Balewadi.

Banmali Agrawala, president of infrastructure, defence and aerospace, Tata Sons, in a statement said the Metro will significantly transform the way Puneites will commute in the future. “It will bring in economic benefits and employment along the route,” he said.

Managing director and chief executive officer Siemens Limited Sunil Mathur said their company has been partnering for various projects in the areas of electrification and automation for nearly 150 years and strongly feels that the project will positively impact the quality of life in Pune.