Prime minister Narendra Modi, on March 4, 2019, inaugurated a 6.5-km stretch of Phase I of the Ahmedabad Metro train service. After inaugurating the 6.5-km stretch, connecting Vastral to Apparel Park area, Modi also took a ride on the metro. Modi inaugurated the first phase by unveiling a plaque and waving a green flag to the metro train and travelled in it for a short distance.

The first phase of the project costs around Rs 10,773 crores, for which Japan has extended a soft loan of Rs 6,066 crores to the Indian government, through its funding agency JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency). The Gujarat government and central government are to each contribute Rs 1,990 crores for the project.

Phase I of the project covers a distance of 40.03 kms, of which 6.5 km is underground and the rest of the stretch is elevated. Phase one comprises of two corridors. Both the corridors will have 32 stations. The first phase of the project is expected to be fully operational by 2021.

The phase two of the project, which will cover a distance of 28.25 km, was given approval by the Union Cabinet in February 2019. The second phase will connect Motera cricket stadium to Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. “These Metro Projects will not only add to connectivity but will also reduce the travel time and enhance the ease of living substantially in the urban areas. It will provide comfortable and reliable public transport to travellers especially in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar region,” Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation said in a statement.

First trial run of Ahmedabad Metro to begin in January 2019: CM

The first trial run of the Ahmedabad Metro, on a stretch between Vastral Village and Apparel Park, is likely to begin in January 2019, the state’s chief minister, Vijay Rupani has said

August 23, 2018: The first trial run of the much-awaited Ahmedabad Metro train, would be conducted in January 2019, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani announced, on August 22, 2018. During the trial, the train will ply between Vastral Village and Apparel Park, on a 6.5-km stretch, called as ‘priority reach’, in east Ahmedabad. The above stretch is the part of the 20.73-km-long East-West Corridor of the ambitious Metro Rail Project that proposes to connect Vastral area in east Ahmedabad with the western suburb of Thaltej.

“The trial run (of the metro train) on the ‘priority reach’ between Vastral Village and Apparel Park, would begin in January 2019. The work is going on in full swing. I have instructed the officials to make sure that the ongoing works do not cause any trouble to the people,” Rupani told reporters. The chief minister visited the underground section of the metro rail near the main Kalupur railway station. He inspected the proposed integration of the bullet train, metro and Kalupur railway station, stated an official release.

The bullet train project envisages launching of the country’s first high-speed train, connecting Mumbai in Maharashtra with Ahmedabad. The CM was told that a ‘mock-up’ model of the metro coach will arrive in Ahmedabad by the end of September 2018 and it will be displayed at a suitable location for public viewing, it stated. In manufacturing and design parlance, a mock-up model is a scale or full-size model of a design or device.

The Ahmedabad Metro Rail project is being implemented by the Metro Link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad (MEGA), a wholly-owned company of the Gujarat government. During the first phase (Rs 10,773 crores) of the project, the metro train would connect eastern-western and northern-southern suburbs in Ahmedabad. The train will be extended to Gandhinagar in the second phase. While the East-West Corridor is around 20.73 kms long, the North-South Corridor, connecting Motera with APMC Market, is 18.52 kms long.

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