Ahmedabad Metro Set to Link GIFT City and Gandhinagar by June 2024

Anticipated to mark a significant milestone, the first metro train is poised to commence operations in GIFT City by April 2024, signaling the initiation of trials for the Phase-II expansion of the Ahmedabad Metro. The Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) is orchestrating the trials, paving the way for enhanced connectivity between GIFT City, Ahmedabad, and Gandhinagar.

With over 20,000 employees at the fintech hub relying primarily on state/private buses and private vehicles for commuting, the metro extension is expected to alleviate transportation challenges. Pushkar Singla, Chief General Manager (Corporate Planning) at GMR,C, shared insights on the upcoming trial run, stating, “We are going to conduct a trial run for the priority reach comprising 20-odd km of the Phase-II of Ahmedabad metro in April, which will connect the Narendra Modi stadium at Motera to GIFT City and Sector-1 of Gandhinagar city.”

Pending necessary permissions, commercial metro rail operations linking GIFT City and Gandhinagar are projected to commence in June. The Phase-II expansion, estimated at ₹5,384 crore, will differ from its predecessor by featuring only elevated corridors. Launching from the Narendra Modi cricket stadium at Motera, Phase II will extend the metro network northwards, connecting Sector-1 and Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. A branch line at GNLU metro station will span 5.42 km eastwards, bridging the gap to GIFT City across the Sabarmati river.

Afcons Infrastructure, a subsidiary of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, is actively engaged in constructing the 8.1-km elevated viaduct and eight metro stations between Motera and GNLU. Simultaneously, it is overseeing the construction of the stretch between GNLU and GIFT City.

Phase-II, encompassing a total length of approximately 28.2 km and featuring 22 metro stations, is progressing well within the allocated budget. With an expenditure of around ₹1,800 crore to date, the per km construction cost for Phase-II stands at approximately ₹175 crore. According to Singla, the remaining section of Phase II, initiated in October 2022, is slated for completion by December 2024, ensuring the entire 28.2-km-long Phase II of the Ahmedabad Metro concludes by the end of the calendar year.

In a bid to enhance connectivity further, the government is contemplating proposals for additional extensions in Phase II. These include a 6.3-km route to Ahmedabad International Airport and another 6-km section to GIFT City with two additional metro stations. If approved, these proposals are expected to incrementally increase the Phase-II construction cost by over ₹2,000 crore.

Despite the inauguration of the first phase by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2022, certain sections of the metro remain under construction. Notably, the 1.4-km-long section between Thaltej and Thaltej Gam on the East-West Corridor is slated for completion by March 2024. Additionally, the metro station at Sabarmati, integral to the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Bullet train project's multi-modal hub, remains non-operational.

HBL