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The Rainbow BRTS project is being implemented with the financial support of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) of the Government of India. Additionally, specific components of the project in PCMC limits are being funded under the ‘Sustainable Urban Transport Project’, which is an initiative of the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India and is supported by The World Bank, UNDP & GEF.[1]
History
Pune was the second city in India to experiment with a bus rapid transit system, after Ahmedabad, which opened the nation's first BRT in 2010.[2]PMPML started plying pilot routes in December 2006. The Hadapsar-Katraj pilot project consisted of 16.5 kilometres (10.3mi) of bus lanes along the Pune Satara Road using airconditioned, low-floor more than 500 Volvo B7RLE buses initially on Katraj - Swargate - Hadapsar. Most of these buses are not in service currently. The funding for the project came from the Government of India under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. Total of 112 kilometres (70mi) route was proposed for Rainbow BRTS. Now regular PMPML buses ply on the Hadapsar-Katraj corridor of BRTS.
The Pimpri-Chinchwad BRTS was announced in December 2008, when eight routes covering 112km were proposed. Construction of the first route was due to be completed within 18 months.[3] By January 2009, 90% of construction work on an 11km pilot route between Nigdi and Dapodi had been completed. However, a string of disputes between the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), civic administrators and corporators led to the project being delayed, with corporators citing funding difficulties and problems encountered on the similar Delhi BRTS and Rainbow BRTS projects as the causes.[4]
In September 2009 difficulties procuring the 650 buses required to run on the system had led to the project being indefinitely postponed. The new bus shelters were sited on the wrong side of the road, leading to delays in their construction, while passenger information systems had yet to be installed.[5] A month later it was revealed that the cost of the project had overrun by 230 crore, around 50% of the total project cost.[6] By May 2010, funding for the completion of four BRT routes had been agreed, with the remaining four sanctioned by the national government but not yet funded. A number of high-rise buildings along the routes had also been approved for construction.[7]
Both the systems were merged to form Rainbow BRTS.
By April 2014 two of the routes were under construction, with the first station near to completion.[8] The first two lines were expected to be operational by the end of March or the beginning of April 2015.[9] The Sangvi-Kiwale corridor (earlier named as Aundh-Ravet corridor) was thrown open to public on 5 September 2015.[10]
Description
Rainbow BRTS was the first Bus rapid System in IndiaThe Kalewadi Phata flyover was built by the PPCNTDA as part of the BRTSThe Dange Chowk flyover was built by the PCMC as part of the BRTS project.
Feeder bus routes or regular services are run by PMPML from various locations in the city up to the BRT corridors.
The system will when completed comprise eight routes with a total length of 112km, with improved street lighting and passenger facilities on the roads used by the system.[3] It will require around 650 buses to operate the complete network.[5] The system will be substantially different from that in neighbouring Pune, with wider roads and grade separation allowing a more substantial network to be constructed.[11]
The buses and bus stops alike are integrated via the Integrated Traffic Management System (ITMS) which enable travellers to know the ETA of the bus. The bus stops and the buses are equipped with automatic doors, that open when they are in close proximity. The bus-stops are easily accessible by a low-gradient ramp on one end. Signals are being installed near the bus stops to enable pedestrians to cross the road.
A pilot system was constructed on the Katraj - Swargate - Hadapsar corridor and operations began in December 2006. At a time when 'BRT' acronym was new to India and there was limited nationwide understanding of requirements for such an advanced public transport system, Pune was the first city in India to implement and operationalise a high capacity bus system on two corridors:
Swargate–Hadapsar (East‐West Corridor) – 10.2km
Swargate–Katraj (North‐South Corridor) – 5.8km
The infrastructure and operations was an improvement over the regular bus services while many features which are intrinsic to a Bus Rapid Transit System were not a part of it. The infrastructure components included widening of roads, construction of footpaths and cycle tracks, laying of municipal services like water supply and drainage lines, utility ducts, construction of BRT lane‐segregators, bus stops, installation of Passenger Information System, etc. The Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India provided financial support for the project.
However, with the construction of 3 flyovers along the route, the pilot corridor has now been interrupted at various points and the use of the dedicated lane discontinued.
Phase 2 (2016)
Six corridors are being developed in the current phase of the Rainbow BRTS network.[12]
Corridor Name
Length (km)
Number of Stations
Region
Status
Yerawada - Wagholi
8
13
Pune
Oprerational from April 2016
Sangamwadi - Vishrantwadi
8
9
Pune
Operational from August 2015
Nigadi - Dapodi
12
18
Pimpri Chinchwad
Operational from August 2018
Sangvi Phata - Kiwale
14
17
Pimpri Chinchwad
Operational from September 2015
Nashik Phata - Wakad
8
15
Pimpri Chinchwad
Operational from November 2015
Kalewadi Phata - Dehu Alandi Road
11
20
Pimpri Chinchwad
Operational from September 2019
Repair work
In 2012, the PMC started to make changes on the road so that the management of traffic would become easier. A 1.5km long flyover was constructed from Padmavati to Bhartividyapeeth, which has four lanes, plus the existing 4 lanes. The legs of the flyover are constructed on the BRTS route. The BRTS has been cancelled. Apart from the flyover, there are 2 subways constructed at Bibwewadi chowk and Kaka Halwai chowk for the pedestrians to cross. These three constructions have reduced a lot of time to travel through this route.
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