PUNE, India / AsiaWire.IO / – Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for Pune Metro projects worth around ₹21,800 crore through video conferencing. He opened the Hinjawadi to Shivajinagar corridor, which links a major IT hub to the city center. He also launched work on new lines that will further connect the old and new parts of Pune. Modi recalled that he laid the foundation stone for the first phase of the Pune Metro 10 years ago.
The newly opened Line 3 runs about 23 kilometers with 23 stations and cost around ₹8,300 crore. It is India’s first metro line built under the public-private partnership model since the 2017 metro rail policy, developed by a joint venture of a Tata Group company and Siemens. Phase 2, estimated at about ₹13,500 crore, includes four corridors. They link Vanaz with Chandani Chowk, Ramwadi with Vitthalwadi, Khadakwasla with Kharadi and Nal Stop with Manikbaug.
Modi said a better-connected Pune is a faster-growing Pune, and the new lines will boost growth and improve ease of living. He described the city as a hub of youth aspirations across IT, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, startups, innovation and manufacturing. Metro networks save commuting time and improve convenience, he said. Saving a city’s time raises urban productivity, which in turn accelerates the national economy and benefits both the poor and the middle class.
Metro network nears 1,200 kilometers
Modi said India’s metro network has expanded over the past 12 years to nearly 1,200 kilometers across 26 cities. It now serves more than 10 million daily commuters and ranks among the top three metro networks in the world. In Maharashtra, only 10 to 11 kilometers of metro lines were operational in 2014. Nearly 175 kilometers are now in service, with more than 680 kilometers under construction at an investment exceeding ₹2.5 lakh crore.
The prime minister said cities are major engines of economic activity rather than mere residential spaces. He called for hundreds of smaller towns to be developed into growth hubs. He highlighted the Urban Challenge Fund, approved in February with ₹1 lakh crore in central assistance to mobilize urban investment. Modi urged local bodies and private partners to join the effort in mission mode, saying he was confident Maharashtra would expand its role further.
Growth and poverty reduction linked
Modi said India is both the fastest-growing major economy and the fastest poverty reducer. Citing the latest World Bank report, he said 50 crore citizens, or 500 million people, have been lifted out of extreme poverty in about 10 to 12 years. The World Bank estimated that 496 million Indians escaped poverty between 2011 and 2023. Modi said a growing economy allows higher public investment, and India’s economy grew 7.8% in the April-June quarter.
The prime minister also acknowledged the hardships faced by farming families in Maharashtra due to adverse weather and drought. He said the state government had provided advance assistance and PM Kisan funds had been transferred. “Do not worry at all, we are all with the farmers,” he said. Modi extended Diwali greetings and urged citizens to remember those in distress during the festive season, saying the country would face the calamity together.