On November 4, 2026, as Pune’s new Metro Line 3 opened its doors to passengers, something extraordinary happened inside its driver’s cabins. The trains carrying commuters across the city were being operated entirely by women.
Ninety women train pilots. A 23.2 kilometre corridor. One powerful statement about what women can achieve when given an opportunity. Pune’s Hinjawadi Shivajinagar Metro Line 3, popularly known as the Pink Line, has made history as India’s first metro corridor operated exclusively by women train pilots. But this story began long before its first passenger boarded a train.
A city needed a better way forward
Hinjawadi is home to Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park, one of Pune’s biggest IT and employment hubs. With over 1.5 lakh people working in the area, daily traffic congestion had become a serious challenge.
The idea of connecting Hinjawadi to central Pune through a metro corridor emerged as a solution.
The Maharashtra government approved the project in February 2018. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid its foundation stone on December 8, 2018, and construction began in November 2021.
Developed by the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), the project was implemented through Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited, a joint venture involving Tata Group and Siemens.
Built at an estimated cost of ₹8,313 crore, the elevated corridor stretches 23.203 kilometres, connecting Maan in Hinjawadi to District Court in Shivajinagar through 23 stations.
An extraordinary decision
In September 2025, international transport operator Keolis announced that it would operate the corridor under a 10-year contract. Among its most remarkable decisions was to have an exclusively female team of train pilots.
Around 100 women were initially planned to be recruited and trained. Eventually, 90 certified women pilots took charge of passenger operations, supported by nine women supervisors.But the responsibility required much more than courage.
The women underwent intensive training in railway rules, signalling, technical systems, emergency procedures and passenger safety. Their preparation included classroom instruction, simulator sessions and practical train operations, followed by rigorous assessments before certification.
They were being prepared not merely to operate trains, but to take responsibility for hundreds of passengers every day.
Meet the women behind the controls
Among the faces of this historic achievement is 23-year-old Pragati Birajdar, an electrical engineering graduate from G.H. Raisoni College of Engineering. She was the first train pilot of the initial batch and operated the inaugural train carrying Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Then there is 23-year-old Prerna Chopade, an engineering graduate from Mauli College of Engineering, who operated the first passenger train departing at 6 am on November 4.
Vaishnavi Bathe and Tejashri Shinde are among the other young women who became part of this pioneering team.
More than a Metro
The project has created employment opportunities across technical, operational, supervisory and administrative functions. Women reportedly constitute around 50% of its overall workforce, making this achievement much bigger than the 90 driving cabins.
The corridor was virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 3, 2026, with passenger services commencing the following morning. Seventeen of its 23 stations opened in the initial phase.
The Pink Line is expected to ease congestion across Hinjawadi, Wakad, Baner, Balewadi and Shivajinagar. But its most remarkable achievement cannot be measured in kilometres or stations. It lies in the doors it has opened for the next generation.
Ninety women have taken charge of an entire metro line’s train operations, demonstrating that technical expertise, discipline and responsibility have no gender.
Sometimes, breaking barriers does not require a loud declaration. Sometimes, it simply requires taking the controls and moving forward. And in Pune, 90 women are doing exactly that.
