Pune Metro: 65% work done on two priority routes; civil work to be completed in 2 months

The construction of the 16.59-km route from Chinchwad to Swargate and 14.925-km route from Vanaz to Ramwadi is underway.

Gearing up for undertaking the most difficult stretch of the route, the Pune Metro is all set to start the underground tunnel construction for the route from Shivajinagar to Swargate from the first week of December.

“Parts of the first Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) have landed in Mumbai and will reach Pune in the next four days. The assembling of the machine will take 15 days and the work will begin immediately after that, which is likely to be in the first week of December,” said Atul Gadgil, executive director of the Pune Metro.

He added that the second TBM was being transported to the city via sea and will soon reach the city. At present, the tunnelling of the up-route from Shivajinagar to Budhwar Peth will be taken up in the first phase.

“The preliminary work for assembling the TBM at the construction site has been completed. The TBM will construct a 6 to 7 m tunnel daily,” Gadgil said.

In the second phase, the tunnel will be constructed from Swargate to Budhwar Peth but the actual work for it will take time, he said.

The Pune Metro has asked the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to complete the shifting of its bus stand in Shivajinagar to Dairy Farm land, which has been developed by the Pune Metro as a temporary provision till the work of Metro is completed in Shivajinagar.

“We have asked for the shifting of the bus stand by November 20 so that the Metro work can be undertaken in full swing,” Gadgil added.