French transport operator Keolis will manage the third Pune Metro line connecting Hinjawadi and Shivajinagar, according to a company release. The agreement was signed between Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited (PITCMRL) and Keolis, which is headquartered in Paris.

Under the deal, Keolis will handle the maintenance of 22 Alstom-built metro trains and oversee ticketing across all 23 stations. In a notable step towards inclusivity, the company announced that the Hinjawadi–Shivajinagar corridor will be operated by an all-women fleet of metro pilots.

The 23 km metro line is being developed by the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. Trial runs are already complete, with operations expected to begin by March 2026.

Integrating 23 stations, the line is expected to ease daily travel for thousands of commuters, particularly IT professionals travelling between Hinjawadi, the city’s technology hub, and central Pune.

The project is estimated to cost Rs 83.1 billion. Of this, Rs 47.9 billion will come from loans, Rs 13.1 billion from private players, Rs 12.2 billion through viability gap funding from the Union government, and Rs 906 million from the state government.