Maha-Metro, PMRDA to have different Metro ticket fares

The two agencies executing the Metro project in the city, the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro) and Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), will both have different ticket fares for Metro services in their respective jurisdictions. In a press interaction organised by the Pune Union of Working Journalists on Thursday, Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) chief executive officer Kiran Gitte confirmed that there would be no uniform ticket fare for both the Metro projects.

Gitte said that PMRDA is executing the Metro project on a public private partnership (PPP) basis, which means that the government will not invest in the project while private parties will erect the Metro corridor. As the Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar Metro corridor will mainly serve IT professionals, commuters will not mind paying more if they get direct connectivity, Gitte added. 

Maha-Metro is executing the Metro corridors between Shivshrusti (Chandni chowk) and Ramwadi and Pimpri Chinchwad and Swargate. PMRDA is executing the Metro corridor between Hinjewadi and Shivajinagar. 

Earlier, the authorities were claiming that the ticket fare system for both Metro rails would be the same, but the PMRDA chief clarified that the fare of the corridor from Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar will be different from the other corridors. 

When media persons raised concern over the lack of communication between both the agencies, Maha-Metro and PMRDA, Gitte denied it and said that both the organisations always discuss their every move and had good communication.

The corridors of PMRDA and Maha-Metro meet at the civil court station and necessary changes have been made in the designs at the civil court. “Even the consultants of both the Metro rails discuss their decisions with each other before finalising anything,” said Gitte. 

Pune Municipal Corporation chief Kunal Kumar also confirmed that the Metro fare for both Metro corridors will be different.