Pune Metro Line 3: Integrated Flyover Delays Push Hinjawadi-Shivajinagar Corridor Completion To September 2025

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar are set to reassess the timeline for completion of the third Metro line in Pune between Hinjawadi and Shivajinagar.

This review follows a request from the concessionaire for an extension until September 2025 for the execution of the project, Times of India reported citing sources from Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA).

PMRDA officials reportedly said that the concessionaire has requested for revised timelines from the earlier target of March 2025.

The integrated flyover segment, stretching from University Chowk to E-Square junction, which was originally expected to be completed by December, is now projected to finish by the end of March next year.

The 23-km Metro corridor has achieved 74 per cent overall completion, but the integrated flyover, a key segment of the project, is only 65 per cent complete.

"Construction of ramp and deck slabs are still pending. We also need permissions for certain stretches, so the 1.7-km flyover work will not be fully completed until April 2025," a source was quoted as saying by ToI.

"The integrated flyover is a critical component. We cannot start operations without it," the source added.

Officials noted that the revised timelines will be discussed during the review meeting led by CM Fadnavis, who chairs the PMRDA, and Deputy Chief Minister Pawar.

Earlier this year, Deputy CM Pawar reviewed the project and instructed the concessionaire to expedite construction.

In the lead-up to the assembly elections, he emphasised the need for faster work and quicker approvals for traffic diversions.

He also recommended that construction activities be carried out around the clock.

According to the officials, heavy traffic along the busy route as a major hurdle in completion of the flyover work despite regular review meetings to track its progress.

Issues related to multiple clearances for construction activities, including right of way and shifting of utilities, consumed considerable time, an official said.

Additionally, permission to install steel girders at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) Chowk was withheld before the elections and Diwali, citing potential traffic congestion, further delaying the work.

"This is the main arterial road and heavy traffic and VIP movement during election period prevented continuous work along the stretch," a PMRDA official said.

Proposed traffic diversions reportedly offered minimal relief.

Metro stations between Maan and Balewadi Highstreet are expected to become operational by April.

However, construction challenges persist along the University Chowk stretch, including the need for road widening and the relocation of electricity poles.

The government had earlier instructed Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited to prioritise completing the flyover segment from SPPU to E-Square junction by November.

It was decided to expedite traffic diversion permissions and road widening at select points to minimise inconvenience to commuters.

The Centre had recently cleared another Rs 200 crore as part of viability gap funding for the project, in addition to Rs 400 crore cleared earlier.

Of the Rs 1,200 crore committed by the central government, around Rs 600 crore has been released so far.

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