Pune Metro line 3 completes 1,000th pile at Balewadi

Pune: The work of Pune Metro line 3 (PML3) between Hinjewadi and Shivajinagar route has reached 1,000 pilings on Tuesday, officials said

Pune: The work of Pune Metro line 3 (PML3) between Hinjewadi and Shivajinagar route has reached 1,000 pilings on Tuesday, officials said. Piles are concrete foundations that run about 25 metres below the ground.

The work of Pune Metro line 3 (PML3) between Hinjewadi and Shivajinagar route has reached 1,000 pilings on Tuesday, officials said (HT PHOTO)

The construction of the 23-km-long project is jointly launched by the Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited (PICTMRL), a Tata Group’s special purpose vehicle company, and the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA).

“The 1,000th piling was completed today at the proposed station No. 10 of Pune Metro Line 3 near Balewadi stadium. Along with this, barricading work of 12,147 RMT (running metre) on Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar Metro line has been completed till date. A total of 22 piers have been completed. The number of pile caps for piers, including the pile caps to be made for the station, has reached 86. We are working towards increasing this number in the upcoming days and are grateful to the citizens of Pune for their support to this project,” said Alok Kapoor, chief executive officer, PICTMRL.

Piling work is mainly the construction process used to lay the foundation. The pile cap on which the station is to be erected is the foundation connecting the pier and the piling dug for it. Before placing pile cap, pits of uniform size are made according to the total pressure on the pole in the ground, which is called ‘pile’. One station pile cap stands on six such pilings. This process is completed in about 14 days. The total time required for this work is 14 days for actual construction followed by a waiting period of 21 days. A pier can be erected on pile cap in about a month. Meanwhile, important stages like load test, quality check are checked and fulfilled, according to metro officials.

The Pune Metro Line 3 is a 23-km elevated Metro rail project connecting the IT hub of Hinjewadi to the central business district of Shivajinagar. It is a public private partnership (PPP) project awarded by PMRDA to a consortium consisting of Tata Group’s TRIL Urban Transport Private Limited (TUTPL) and Siemens Project Ventures GmbH. The project would be developed and operated on design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) basis by a special purpose vehicle (SPV) PITCMRL for a concession duration of 35 years, including construction period.