Pune, 10th June 2026: Frustration is growing among thousands of IT professionals and daily commuters as the much-awaited Shivajinagar–Hinjawadi Metro project continues to miss deadlines.
Despite repeated announcements about its launch, the metro service has yet to begin operations, forcing commuters to endure severe traffic congestion on the route every day.
For many working professionals, the journey to Hinjawadi's Rajiv Gandhi IT Park has become a daily challenge. Commuters say they spend nearly three to four hours in traffic every day, affecting both productivity and personal time. Many are questioning when the metro, which has been under construction for years, will finally become operational.
The 23-kilometre metro corridor is designed to connect Shivajinagar with Hinjawadi, one of India's largest IT hubs. The project is being implemented by Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited, a special purpose vehicle established under a public-private partnership model led by the Tata Group, while the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) oversees the project.
The metro was originally expected to be completed by March 2025. However, delays caused by land acquisition issues, pending approvals, and other project-related challenges pushed the timeline further. Even after receiving an extension until March 2026, the project failed to meet the revised target.
Over the past year, authorities announced several possible launch dates, including March 2025, September 2025, December 2025, March 2026, May 2026, and most recently June 15, 2026. However, the service remains unavailable, leading to growing public disappointment.
According to officials, trial runs on the corridor have already been completed. The project is now undergoing the process of obtaining safety clearance from the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS). Officials expect the certification process to take a few weeks after inspections are completed.
Meanwhile, work on station facilities such as lifts, escalators, pedestrian bridges, and passenger access infrastructure is still underway at some locations. Concerns have also been raised about whether all passenger facilities and safety measures will be fully ready before commercial operations begin.
Siddharth Jagtap, an IT employee who travels daily between Shivajinagar and Hinjawadi, said the traffic situation has become exhausting.
"I travel from Shivajinagar to Hinjawadi every day for work. The traffic congestion is unbearable. At least one-and-a-half to two hours are lost in traffic each way. While my office work lasts around eight hours, I spend nearly four hours commuting every day. I have been waiting for the metro service to start ever since construction began. I just hope it starts soon and gives us relief from this daily struggle," he said.
PMRDA Superintendent Engineer Yogesh Kulkarni said the remaining work is being completed according to all required safety standards.
"All metro works are being carried out as per CMRS guidelines. There will be no compromise on quality or passenger safety. Once the inspections are completed and the necessary approvals are received, the metro service will begin," Kulkarni said.
The metro project received state cabinet approval in February 2018 and was declared an important urban transport project later that year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid its foundation stone in December 2018, while construction work began in November 2021.
Nearly eight years after the project was approved, commuters are still waiting for the Shivajinagar–Hinjawadi Metro to finally enter service and ease one of Pune's most congested travel corridors.