Pune

Pune (IPA: [puɳe] English pronunciation: /ˈpuːnə/;) (Marathi: पुणे) is the ninth-most populous city in India and the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after the state capital city of Mumbai. Pune is also the 101st largest city in the world, by population.

It is situated 560 metres (1,837 feet) above sea level on the Deccan plateau, on the right bank of the Mutha river. Pune city is the administrative headquarters of Pune district and was once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire established by Shivaji Maharaj.

In the 18th century, Pune became the political centre of the Indian subcontinent, as the seat of Peshwas who were the prime ministers of the Maratha Empire.

Pune is considered the cultural capital of Maharashtra. Since the 1950s and 1960s, Pune has a traditional old-economic base . Most of the old industries continue to grow. The city is also known for its manufacturing and automobiles industries, as well as for research institutes of information technology(IT), education, management and training, which attract migrants, students, and professionals from India, South East Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Pune is also one of the fastest growing cities in the Asia-Pacific region. The ‘Mercer 2015 Quality of Living rankings’ evaluated local living conditions in more than 440 cities around the world where Pune ranked at 145, second in India after Hyderabad(138). It also highlights Pune among evolving business centers and emerging 9 cities around the world with citation "Hosts IT and automotive companies"

Pune Bus Rapid Transit

Pune was the first city in India to experiment with a Bus Rapid Transit system. PMPML started plying pilot routes in December 2006.

Rainbow BRT is the new bus rapid transit system now operational in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad. Rainbow BRT is being developed as a high quality, customer-oriented public bus transport service. It is managed by Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd and developed with the support of Pune Municipal Corporation and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. Pune Traffic Police is providing the support for management of traffic.

The Sangamwadi-Vishrantwadi Corridor in Pune was launched on 30 August 2015 and the Sangvi – Kiwale Corridor in Pimpri Chinchwad was launched on 5 September 2015.

The features of Rainbow BRT include

Pimpri-Chinchwad

Pimpri-Chinchwad(Marathi:पिंपरी-चिंचवड) is part of Pune Metropolitan City in the state of Maharashtra, India. It is the urban agglomeration of Pune. It consists of the towns of Pimpri, Chinchwad, Nigdi, Akurdi, Ravet, Bhosari, Pimple Gurav, Moshi, Punawale, and Sangavi, which are governed by a common municipal body (the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation or PCMC). It is located to the north-west and is well connected to the center of Pune city via the Old Pune-Mumbai Highway.

Demographics

As of 2011 India census, Pimpri-Chinchwad had a population of 1,729,320. Pimpri-Chinchwad has an average literacy rate of 87.19, higher than the national average of 74.04%. In Pimpri-Chinchwad, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.

The main language spoken in the town is Marathi. There is a significant Sindhi population present in Pimpri.

The current commissioner of Pimpri-Chinchwad is Rajeev Jadhav, who replaced Dr. Shrikar Pardeshi for the post who held it for one & half years. The additional commissioner is Mr. Tanaji Shinde. Mrs. Shakuntala Dharade is the current mayor of Pimpri-Chinchwad. The JNNURM award for Best Performing City under Sub-Mission for Urban Infrastructure and Governance was given to Pimpri-Chinchwad.

Bus rapid transit

Bus rapid transit (BRT, BRTS, busway) is a bus-based mass transit system. A true BRT system generally has specialized design, services and infrastructure to improve system quality and remove the typical causes of delay. Sometimes described as a "surface subway", BRT aims to combine the capacity and speed of light rail or metro with the flexibility, lower cost and simplicity of a bus system.

To be considered BRT, buses should operate for a significant part of their journey within a fully dedicated right of way (busway) to avoid traffic congestion. In addition, a true BRT system has most of the following elements:

The first BRT system was the Rede Integrada de Transporte ('Integrated Transportation Network') in Curitiba, Brazil, which entered service in 1974. This inspired many similar systems around Brazil and the world, such as TransMilenio in Bogotá, Colombia, which opened in 2000. As of October 2014, 186 cities in all continents have implemented BRT systems, accounting for 4,757 km (2,956 mi) of BRT lanes. It is estimated that about 31.7 million passengers use BRT worldwide everyday, of which about 19.7 million passengers ride daily in Latin America, which has the most cities with BRT systems, with 60, led by Brazil with 33 cities.

Rapid transit

Rapid transit, also known as metro, subway or underground is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. Unlike buses or trams, rapid transit systems are electric railways that operate on an exclusive right-of-way, which cannot be accessed by pedestrians or other vehicles of any sort, and which is often grade separated in tunnels or on elevated railways.

Modern services on rapid transit systems are provided on designated lines between stations typically using electric multiple units on rail tracks, although some systems use guided rubber tyres, magnetic levitation, or monorail. The stations typically have high platforms, without steps inside the trains, requiring custom-made trains in order to avoid gaps. They are typically integrated with other public transport and often operated by the same public transport authorities. However, some rapid transit systems have at-grade intersections between a rapid transit line and a road or between two rapid transit lines. It is unchallenged in its ability to transport large numbers of people quickly over short distances with little use of land. Variations of rapid transit include people movers, small-scale light metro, and the commuter rail hybrid S-Bahn.