Ganeshotsav Rush: Pune Metro to Increase Peak-Hour Frequency to Every 5 Minutes

Pune, 5th September 2026: With daily Metro ridership rising to nearly 2.80 lakh, Maha Metro is set to increase train frequency during peak hours from the Ganesh festival, with services planned every five minutes instead of the current six-minute interval.

Trial runs of the enhanced frequency have been underway for the past three days and are progressing successfully. Maha Metro operates services on the Vanaz–Ramwadi and Pimpri Chinchwad–Swargate corridors, with passenger numbers recently crossing the 2.5-lakh mark.

To accommodate the growing crowds, Maha Metro plans to deploy all 33 three-coach rakes in its fleet. Currently, 30 rakes are in regular operation. Under the revised arrangement, 17 rakes will operate on the Vanaz–Ramwadi corridor and 16 on the Pimpri Chinchwad–Swargate corridor, enabling more trips during peak hours.

Maha Metro Managing Director Shravan Hardikar said the Metro was receiving a strong response from passengers, with daily ridership reaching around 2.80 lakh. “Considering the growing crowds, metro services will be started every five minutes during peak hours. Trials for this have already begun,” he said.

At present, Maha Metro operates 554 trips daily across the two corridors. The increase in frequency to every five minutes will result in additional trips and is expected to ease crowding and reduce waiting time for passengers during peak hours.

Services during non-peak hours will continue to operate at a frequency of 10 minutes.

The revised frequency is expected to be particularly beneficial during Ganeshotsav, when passenger footfall on the Metro typically rises due to increased movement across the city.