Construction begins on Pune Metro's 5.46 km underground extension from Swargate to Katraj

en.Wedoany.com Reported - The underground extension of Pune Metro from Swargate to Katraj has entered the construction phase, with shaft excavation officially commencing at Market Yard station. Legislator Madhuri Misal inaugurated the excavation work and inspected the project progress along the route. Maha Metro is excavating shafts to lower Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) into the ground, with plans to gradually deploy four TBMs over the coming months.

This extension is a southward project of Pune Metro Phase I, running from Swargate southward to Katraj, with a total length of 5.46 km, entirely underground. It serves as a southward extension of the existing line from Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to Swargate. The project initially planned three stations—Market Yard, Padmavati, and Katraj—with two additional stations, Balaji and Bibwewadi, later added to cover high-density residential areas. Station construction and tunnel boring will proceed simultaneously to accelerate the timeline.

Since the entire route is underground, construction is expected to cause minimal disruption to traffic, with surface space occupied only in certain areas. Barricades have been erected on Satara Road, and some bus rapid transit lanes have been removed to make way for station shafts. The project management has planned tunnel boring logistics to maintain traffic flow on major arterial roads during shaft excavation and temporary traffic management.

Once operational, this corridor will provide commuting convenience for residents in Bibwewadi, Balaji Nagar, Dhankawadi, and Padmavati, while also improving access to Market Yard and Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park. Katraj station will be integrated with the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) city bus terminal, Katraj-Kondhwa Road, and the Katraj Bypass connecting to the Mumbai-Bangalore highway. Additionally, feeder auto-rickshaw services have been introduced at PCMC Metro station to improve last-mile connectivity.