Soon after inaugurating the much-awaited metro rail extension from Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar, PM Modi traveled onboard the metro rail, interacted with passengers. Earlier in the day, he flagged off the 20.8 km long corridor of the Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project Phase II from Sector-1 Station in the state capital. Notably, PM Modi is be on a two-day visit to his home state from September 15 and among several programmes, he inaugurated the Ahmedabad metro extension Phase 2.
Part one of Phase 2, the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar metro rail spans up to 21 kilometres, covering a total of eight new metro stations initially and providing seamless and efficient transportation services to both residential and commercial areas.
Part two of Phase 1, which is still under construction, will connect Sector 1 in Gandhinagar to Mahatma Mandir, a locality in the state capital which houses a mega convention and exhibition centre.
The project, developed by the Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) in collaboration with the state government and the Centre, will further expand the metro network, linking key locations between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar like GNLU (Gujarat National Law University), PDEU (Pandit Deendayal Energy University), Gift City, Raysan, Randesan, Dholakuva, Infocity and Sector-1.
This new phase, stretching from Motera to Gandhinagar's Sector-1, will connect crucial hubs such as GIFT City, facilitating easy access for professionals, students, and tourists.
The total project cost for Phase 2 metro stands at Rs 5,384 crore with funding secured through loans from international financial institutions like AFD (France) and KfW (Germany).
The extended metro route dramatically reduces the travel time between Ahmedabad, Gujarat's commercial hub, and state capital Gandhinagar, located nearly 25km apart.
For instance, commuters can now travel between APMC and GIFT City in under an hour, at a cost of around Rs 35.
