Pune Metro's Nigdi-Chakan Corridor: The 45-km Line Redrawing North Pune

North Pune's connectivity map just got a major redraw. The proposed 45.295-km Nigdi-Chakan metro corridor, connecting Bhakti-Shakti Group Shilp Chowk in Nigdi with the Chakan industrial belt, has moved a step closer to implementation, with the project estimated to cost ₹12,937.23 crore now approved by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation's General Body. The proposal now heads to the state government for final clearance, marking the biggest single expansion planned for the Pune Metro network to date.

The corridor's real value for homebuyers lies in its route. The new corridor will pass through several key locations, including Transport Nagar, Ravet, Punawale, Tathawade, Wakad, Pimple Saudagar, Pimple Gurav, Nashik Phata, Bhosari, Moshi, Alandi Phata and Chakan, and at Wakad, passengers will also be able to interchange with the Hinjawadi-Shivajinagar metro corridor. This single alignment stitches together some of Pune's busiest residential belts (Ravet, Punawale, Tathawade, Wakad) with the Chakan-Talegaon industrial corridor, home to auto and manufacturing giants.

The line builds on metro infrastructure already under construction. At present, the metro operates between Dapodi and Pimpri, while work is underway to extend the line by 4.519 km up to Bhakti-Shakti Group Shilp Chowk in Nigdi, and once this extension is completed, the proposed second phase will connect Nigdi with Chakan. That first extension is progressing well; a BJP MLA has indicated the PCMC-Nigdi stretch is likely to be operational by January 2027, which would set the stage for Nigdi-Chakan construction to begin soon after.

Getting to this final alignment took several rounds of revision. The Maha Metro prepared the Nigdi to Chakan plan and submitted it to the Municipal Corporation in August, and in September, the Guardian Minister presented this plan to the city's public representatives and stakeholders. Elected representatives pushed back on the initial design. Suggestions were made by the public representatives, including that a metro line should be constructed from Bhakti-Shakti Chowk to Talwade Chowk to Chakan MIDC, and consideration should be given to aligning the metro line from Nashik Phata to Bhosari. By April 2026, a revised draft brought the corridor to 40.926 km with 31 stations at a lower cost of ₹10,383.89 crore, before planners expanded it further to the current 45.295-km, 34-station version after fresh demands to widen coverage.

MahaMetro's leadership has been directly involved in shaping the final route. Hardikar said representatives had suggested additional stations during the presentation and that MahaMetro would examine the proposals. Local political backing has been equally vocal. MLA Shankar Jagtap said the proposed corridor could improve connectivity between Pimpri-Chinchwad and the Chakan industrial belt, underlining the project's dual purpose of easing daily commutes and strengthening industrial logistics.

Funding for a project of this scale will be shared across multiple agencies. The project will be financed through contributions from the Centre, state government, loans and funding agencies, a structure similar to how Pune's earlier metro corridors were funded through Centre-state equity splits and multilateral loans.

For homebuyers, the immediate takeaway is about timing, not instant transformation. The corridor still needs state government sign-off, followed by detailed engineering, tendering and construction, a process that typically takes several years from approval to operational rollout on Indian metro projects. But real estate markets tend to reprice ahead of construction milestones rather than after commissioning. Localities directly on the alignment; Tathawade, Wakad, Punawale, Ravet, and stations feeding into Chakan MIDC; are likely to see renewed developer activity and steady price appreciation as the project clears each regulatory stage. The line is expected to improve connectivity across major residential, commercial and industrial areas of the city and Chakan, which is exactly the kind of infrastructure trigger that has historically driven end-user and investor demand in Pune's northwest micro-markets.

Buyers evaluating projects near this corridor should track two things closely: the state government's approval timeline and whether the Wakad interchange design (linking to the Hinjawadi-Shivajinagar line) gets finalized without further delays, since that node is likely to become one of the most valuable connectivity points in north Pune once both lines are operational.