Mumbai: Pune Metro commuters should prepare for temporary service disruptions on March 14, 2025, as metro operations will be suspended from 6 AM to 3 PM due to the Holi festival. The announcement was made by Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation, Murlidhar Mohol, via social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Mohol stated, “Pune Metro passenger service will be closed on Friday, March 14, 2025, from 6 AM to 3 PM on account of Dhulwad festival (2nd day of Holi). Pune Metro passenger service will resume at 3 PM and will be operational as usual till 11 PM.”
पुणेकर मेट्रो प्रवाशांसाठी…
— Murlidhar Mohol (@mohol_murlidhar) March 12, 2025
धुळवड सणानिमित्त पुणे मेट्रोची प्रवासी सेवा शुक्रवार, दिनांक १४ मार्च २०२५ रोजी सकाळी ६.०० ते दुपारी ३.०० या वेळेत बंद असणार आहे. तसेच दुपारी ३:०० ते रात्री ११:०० या वेळेत पुणे मेट्रोची प्रवासी सेवा नियमित सुरु असेल.#Pune #Metro@metrorailpune
Pune Metro Service Update
— Pune Metro Rail (@metrorailpune) March 12, 2025
On Friday, 14th March 2025, Pune Metro services will be available from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM only. Passengers are requested to plan their travel accordingly.
शुक्रवार दिनांक १४ मार्च २०२५ रोजी दुपारी ३:०० ते रात्री ११:०० या वेळेत मेट्रो सेवा उपलब्ध… pic.twitter.com/cTU53byJ0y
Enhanced Security Measures Following Protest Incident
The announcement comes in the wake of increased security concerns after a recent protest disrupted Pune Metro services. On Sunday, members of the Nationalist Congress Party – Sharad Pawar faction (NCP-SP) blocked metro operations for two hours by climbing onto the tracks near the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) station.
Maha Metro Managing Director Shravan Hardikar revealed plans to enhance security using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies. “This would alert us if anyone crosses the yellow line on the metro platform or jumps on the tracks. We will implement this in the next three to six months. However, this will not be enough. We have to find a better way of guarding ourselves from such incidents happening,” Hardikar stated.
Additionally, Maha Metro’s safety committee has initiated a detailed analysis of the protest incident and is expected to provide recommendations in the coming days.
Refunds Issued to Affected Passengers
In response to the two-hour disruption caused by the protest, Pune Metro has processed refunds for affected passengers. Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Hemant Sonawane, Executive Director (Public Relations and Administration) of Pune Metro, confirmed the refund details.
“Pune Metro has processed a refund amounting to ₹5,303 due to the service disruption. A total of 312 tickets have been refunded to affected passengers. Around 4,000 passengers faced difficulties during the two-hour service interruption,” Sonawane said.
Commuters are advised to plan their travel accordingly on March 14, as normal metro operations will resume post 3 PM. The Pune Metro administration is also expected to roll out further security enhancements in the coming months to prevent such disruptions in the future.
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