When Will Pune's Range Hill Metro Station Open To Public? Details Inside
· Free Press Journal
Pune: More than four years after Pune Metro began commercial operations on its first phase, Range Hill Metro station on the PCMC-Swargate corridor remains non-operational, leaving a crucial station on Line 1 out of service even as the rest of the corridor has been running for years.
According to Maha-Metro officials, the delay was primarily linked to the prolonged process of obtaining land under the control of the Army. The Pune Metro project commenced in December 2016, with the original Phase-I project covering the PCMC-Swargate and Vanaz-Ramwadi corridors. The official project profile had estimated the Phase-I cost at ₹11,420 crore, with completion originally targeted for December 2022. The project was subsequently completed in stages.
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Commercial operations on sections of Lines 1 and 2 began on March 6, 2022. However, Range Hill remained among the unfinished portions of Line 1. Maha-Metro’s official records show that the first underground trial run between Range Hill Depot and Civil Court was conducted in December 2022, while trial operations between Phugewadi and Civil Court also covered Range Hill later that month.
The major hurdle was land acquisition and handover in the Army-controlled area between Harris Bridge and Khadki. Maha-Metro has described obtaining this land from the Army as the biggest difficulty in completing the elevated stretch.
'Wake Up, Devabhau': Pune Congress Stages 'Kumbhakarna' Protest Over Threat To Pune Municipal CommissionerAn official Maha-Metro release states that, after continuous follow-up, the Metro finally received the required Army land in July 2022. The delay in obtaining the land affected the construction sequence, although work on portions between Range Hill-Khadki and Phugewadi-Harris Bridge continued simultaneously.
Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Pune Metro PRO Dhanraj Gokhale said the delay was directly linked to the land being under the Army.
He said, “The area and land over there comes under the Army. The land was handed over with a huge delay, after which the work could start. Because of this, the work of the station was delayed.”
Pune: Why Was Tanishaa Mukerji’s Lonavala Farmhouse Power Cut? MSEDCL Gives Full TimelineThe official project record shows that viaduct construction progressed over several years. The first pillar on the PCMC-Range Hill elevated route was constructed on October 7, 2017, while the final segment of the 12.064-km elevated stretch was launched in 2022.
With the land-related hurdle resolved, Maha-Metro has moved towards completing Range Hill station. Its tender records also show that balance civil, structural, architectural, plumbing and site-development works, including station-box and entry-exit works at Range Hill, were tendered in 2024.
Gokhale said, “The station is now in the final phase. Tile work and electrical wiring work is going on. After this, the final checks will be carried out and the station will be made operational.”
Pune Zilla Parishad To Transform All 121 Primary Health Centres Into Model PHCsAccording to him, Range Hill is expected to become operational by the end of 2026 or around January 2027, subject to completion of the remaining works and mandatory checks.
While Pune Metro’s first phase has been operational since 2022, Range Hill’s delayed opening has effectively left a missing link on the corridor. With the Army land issue resolved and finishing works underway, the focus has now shifted from land acquisition to completion, electrical installation, inspection and commissioning.
Gokhale said, “The work has reached the final stage and we are expecting the station to be operational by 2026 or the beginning of 2027.”