PUNE: The district administration has urged MahaMetro and PMC officials to look into the option of having a Metro Neo corridor along the Swargate-Katraj BRTS route aligning with the city bus services.
Metro Neo is a rail-guided urban transport system with rubber-tyred electric coaches powered by an overhead traction system running on elevated or at-grade sections.
The issue was discussed on Wednesday during a Pune Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority meeting attended by Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MahaMetro) and Pune Municipal Corporation officials and Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) chairman and managing director Rajendra Jagtap, among others.
“A proposal on Metro Neo was moved during the meeting. The divisional commissioner urged the PMC to look into the proposal,” Jagtap said on Thursday.
“The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation is considering to have a Metro Neo corridor from Chakan to its high capacity mass transit route. In Pune city, the Metro is supposed to proceed underground along the Swargate-Katraj bus rapid transport system (BRTS) corridor. Instead, Metro Neo will be a cost-effective option,” he said.
“MahaMetro officials have pledged to look into the option. The cost of having an underground tunnel along the corridor for the Metro project is high. A Metro Neo corridor can bring down the cost by almost 15%. The PMPML’s air-conditioned buses can provide the feeder services,” Jagtap added.
The 5.5km-long Swargate-Katraj BRTS corridor is still under construction. Among the major bus stops along the stretch are Dhankawadi, Katraj, Padmavati and Market Yard Chowk among others.
“We have requested MahaMetro to support us for capital expenditure and viability funding for these services. The feeder service to ensure integration between Yerawada, Ramwadi and Kalyaninagar Metro stations will be prioritized,” Jagtap said.
The Centre is planning to approve national standard specifications for Metro Neo projects for tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Maharashtra has already given a green signal for this transit system in Nashik.