The Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) is gearing up for the trial run of Phase-II of the Ahmedabad metro, which will connect the cities of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar with the GIFT City, a global financial and IT hub. The trial run, scheduled for April 2024, will cover a priority stretch of about 20 km, starting from the Narendra Modi stadium at Motera and ending at Sector-1 of Gandhinagar city. The first metro train is expected to reach GIFT City in April 2024, providing a convenient and fast mode of transport for over 20,000 employees working there. Currently, they have to rely on State/private buses and private vehicles for commuting.
Pushkar Singla, Chief General Manager (Corporate Planning) and chief PRO of GMRC, told businessline that the commercial operations of the metro rail to GIFT City and Gandhinagar will commence in June 2024, subject to necessary permissions. The Phase-II of the Ahmedabad metro, which costs ₹5,384 crore, will integrate both GIFT City and Gandhinagar with the existing Ahmedabad metro network. Unlike Phase I, which had some underground sections, Phase II will have only elevated corridors. The second phase will begin from the Narendra Modi cricket stadium at Motera, where Phase I ends, and extend the metro network towards the north, reaching Sector-1 and Mahatma Mandir (the venue of Vibrant Gujarat summit) in Gandhinagar. A short branch line of 5.42 km will diverge from the GNLU metro station and cross the Sabarmati river to connect GIFT City.
The construction work of the 8.1-km elevated viaduct and eight metro stations between Motera and GNLU, as well as the branch line between GNLU and GIFT City, is being carried out by Afcons Infrastructure, a subsidiary of Shapoorji Pallonji Group.
The total length of Phase-II is about 28.2 km and has 22 metro stations. Singla said that the project is well within the budget and has already spent around ₹1,800 crore. The average construction cost per km for Phase-II is about ₹175 crore.
Singla also said that the remaining section of Phase II, which started in October 2022, will be completed by December 2024. He added that the 28.2-km-long Phase II of the Ahmedabad metro will be fully operational by the end of this year. The government is also considering proposals to extend the second phase further. This includes a 6.3-km-long line to Ahmedabad International Airport and another 6-km-long line to GIFT City with two additional metro stations. If these proposals are approved, the cost of Phase-II construction will increase by more than ₹2,000 crore.
Phase I of Ahmedabad Metro, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2022, is still not fully functional. Some sections, such as the 1.4-km-long stretch between Thaltej and Thaltej Gam on the East-West Corridor, are expected to be completed only by March 2024. The metro station at Sabarmati, which is part of the multi-modal hub being developed for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Bullet train project, is also not operational yet.
Gujarat ATS Apprehends Woman Accused of Inciting 2002 Godhra Riots. Click Here
