PM Modi in Pune: Metro rail becoming lifeline of cities

Metro is becoming the lifeline of cities in the country, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi while laying a foundation stone for the third phase of the Pune Metro rail on Tuesday.

"Metro is becoming the lifeline of cities of the country. In the last 4 years, the government has extended this network to several cities and even more cities will be connected in the time to come. We have the infrastructure required for the fourth industrial revolution, and an army of young innovative minds, like the youngsters, present here today," he said.

Elaborating about the third phase of the metro line, which will cover the stretch from Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar, the Prime Minister said: "This Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar metro line will give the benefits to one of the busiest IT cities (Pune) in the world and ease the travel time of locals. Also, when this phase will be completed, people can easily travel from Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad to Hinjewadi IT Park."

"I'm grateful that I received an opportunity to start the Pune Metro project two years ago. I'm happy that the two corridors projects which we initiated are getting completed in rapid speed. I'm hopeful that this metro project will be finished within 26 months," he added.

The Prime Minister also shed light on the initiatives taken by his government in the past four years, particularly on the expansion of metro rail projects in various cities.

"In the last four years, we have commissioned new metro lines for over 300 km and another proposal has been for another 200 km metro line. Now, Metro is working under Single Command System with the assistance of Unified Urban Transport Authority. Through this, we're able to know the problems faces by the people while travelling and we are also trying to resolve them," he added.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone of two metro corridors - Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan Metro and Dahisar-Mira-Bhayander Metro and CIDCO housing scheme in Maharashtra.