March 20, 2022 11:24:59 am
The capacity of the metro trains is now around 900 passengers, which is not being fully utilised as of now. (Express) Written by Swarali Joshirao
For Amruta Ghodke, travelling from Garware to the cafe in Anand Nagar Kothrud, where she works, was a tedious process every morning — to be repeated in the opposite direction in the evening. She is one of the regulars on the Pune Metro now. “The Pune Metro has helped me reduce my travel time from 30 minutes to 10 minutes. Earlier, I used to travel by my vehicle. It was time-consuming as well as tiring. Now, I don’t have to bother with traffic signals or pollution and can put the extra time into my business. I also have more energy to spend with my family,” she says.
Like Ghodke, life has changed for many commuters since the Pune Metro was inaugurated, from Garware to Vanaz and from PCMC to Phugewadi. A 40-year-old woman who travels between Anand Nagar and Garware says the stress of travel has gone down. “The metro is not as crowded as buses. I hope the frequency will be increased soon so that the waiting period will be reduced and that, eventually, we will also have food courts,” she says.
Some students prefer the metro rail over the bus even though the fare is higher. Diksha Ovhal, a 20-year-old student of Garware College, says: “The ticket charge for the metro is Rs 20, which is double my bus fare as I live in Vanaz and travel to Garware stop daily. I, still, prefer the metro because it helps me escape the weather outside, provides air conditioning and saves me from the ill effects of pollution.”
Atharva Joshi (23), who studies in Bharati Vidyapeeth and stays in Anand Nagar travels by metro back to his home in Vanaz. “I used to commute by car. It becomes inconvenient due to signals on the road. The metro has no traffic issues and you just have to relax and get down at your station.” For 18-year-old Achal Deore from SNDT College, the metro helps her save almost 30 minutes of time on the commute. “We had to wait for the bus, and there was no certainty which would lead to a travel time of more than an hour. I used to be late sometimes and had to stand outside class when I travelled by bus. The metro also is less crowded and not noisy and helps me relax,” says Achal.
The capacity of the metro trains is now around 900 passengers, which is not being fully utilised as of now. Pune Metro spokesperson Hemant Sonawane says that frequency might be increased during peak hours to ensure that there is a train scheduled every 15 minutes. “We are going to launch a prepaid card system soon. Online booking application is already in place and more than 26,000 people have downloaded it. Both these methods are sustainable and will help save paper when 7-8 lakhs people commute daily,” he adds.
As the service increases, regulars will find commuting easier. “I travel by metro twice a day. In summers, taking public transport becomes very difficult and we are exhausted. I don’t even spend time at the ticket counters as I have downloaded the app and can book my ticket in advance. The time saved is spent on my family,” Nilesh Bhojane, an engineer from the PCMC area, says.
For Sachin Deore (51), a professor at SNDT college who lives in Vanaz and travels to Nal Stop, the metro has brought about “a level of comfort” he could “never imagine”. “I no longer need to maintain my vehicle and take stress to drive in traffic. The metro has a schedule and, if I plan accordingly, I will not be late. This assurance makes me more productive and puts me at ease,” he says.
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