Ahmedabad Metro

Ahmedabad Metro is a rapid transit system for the cities of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar in Gujarat, India. It is being built by Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) Limited (formerly Metro-Link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad or MEGA), a Special Purpose Vehicle company constituted in 2018 to implement all metro projects in Gujarat.

Ahmedabad Metro
GMRC Logo
Overview
OwnerGujarat Metro Rail Corporation Limited
Area servedAhmedabad
Future destinations: Gandhinagar
GIFT City[1]
Transit typeRapid transit
Number of lines1 (Operational)
2 (Phase-1)[2]
2 (Phase-2)
Number of stations6 (Operational)
32 (Phase 1)
22 (Phase-2)
Daily ridership2 million (projected, 2022')
Chief executiveDurga Shanker Mishra (Chairman)
HeadquartersBlock No.1, First Floor, Karmayogi Bhavan, Sector 10/A, Gandhinagar-382010[3]
WebsiteGujarat Metro
Operation
Began operation4 March 2019
CharacterUnderground & Elevated
Train length3 Coach
Technical
System length6.5 km (Operational)
40.03 km (24.87 mi) (Phase-1)[4]
28.26 km (17.56 mi) (Phase-2)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Standard gauge[5]
Electrification750 V DC Third rail
Average speed18 km/h (11 mph)
Top speed25 km/h (16 mph)

The company was established in February 2010 and the Phase–1 of the project was approved in October 2014. Construction of Ahmedabad Metro started on 14 March 2015,[6][7][8] and Phase-1 is expected to be completed by 2023.[9] A section of east–west corridor was inaugurated on 4 March 2019 by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi[10] and was opened to the public on 6 March 2019.[11]

In January 2021, the construction of the 28.25 km long Phase-2 connecting Ahmedabad with Gandhinagar was started.[12]

History

In 2003, Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board carried out the study for urban transport between Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad. It also carried out the detailed project report through Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and RITES and submitted it in June 2005 and received Central Government's approval in the same year.[13][14] Following the estimated cost of ₹ 4295 crores and the study of the viability of the project, it was abandoned in 2005 to give priority to the Ahmedabad BRTS and suburban railway projects. In 2008, considering the future developments in and around Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, the project was revived and new corridors were designed to make the project viable.

The special purpose vehicle company, Metro Link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad (MEGA) Company Ltd (now renamed GMRC), was established by Government of Gujarat on 4 February 2010 with Rs 200 crore. Later in 2014, it was decided that the Central Government will own 50% of the company.[15][16]

Phase-1
Ahmedabad Metro North South Line Underconstruction near Sabarmati Powerhouse and Sabarmati Railway Station 9 July 2017

On 19 October 2014, Union Cabinet of India approved ₹ 10,773 Crores for the Phase–1.[16] The Central government approved use of unused Western Railways land along the Botad- Sabarmati meter gauge line in November 2014.[17] The original plan of Metro along Ashram Road was tweaked and the track was moved westward. The new plan added cost of ₹ 500 crore and two more stations. It helped by fewer problems in land acquisition and less congestion on Ashram Road. In 2015 budget of Gujarat, ₹ 611 crore was further allocated for the metro. The ground breaking ceremony was held on 14 March 2015 for the construction of 6.5 km long Vastral – Apparel Park stretch of east–west corridor in presence of then Gujarat Chief Minister, Anandiben Patel. The ground-breaking ceremony for North-South Corridor was held on 17 January 2016 in presence of the then Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel. The work started in March 2016.[18][19] The Indian Railways permitted the construction of north–south corridor stretch on its land in June 2016.[20]

Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) agreed to fund ₹ 5968 Crores for Phase-1 of the project in November 2015 and the first trench of ₹ 4456 Crores was released in 2016.[21]

The trial runs were carried out in February 2019 on 6.5 km long Vastral – Apparel Park section of Phase-1.[22][23] The section was inaugurated on 4 March 2019 by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.[24][10] It opened to the public on 6 March 2019.[11]

Phase-2

The Government of Gujarat gave approval for Phase-2 of project in October 2017 and revised it in October 2018. In February 2019, the Union cabinet approved the Rs 5384.17 crore second phase of the project. It will extend from Motera to Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar,(22.838 km) with a separate line from Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) linking Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU) and GIFT City (5.416 km). The Phase-2 will have total 28.254 km long elevated corridor with 22 stations.[25][26][24]

Tendering for the Phase 2 began in January 2020.[27] [28] On 18 January 2021, the foundation of the 28.25 km long Phase-2 connecting Ahmedabad with Gandhinagar was laid by Prime Minister Modi.[12]

Current Status
Ahmedabad Metro
Line Name First Operational Last Extension Stations Length (KM) Terminal Rolling Stock Track Gauge (mm) Electrification
North South Line 1435 750V DC Third Rail
East West Line 4 March 2019 6 6.5 Apparel Park Vastral Gam Hyundai Rotem
North-South extension
GNLU-GIFT city branch

Lines

Network information
Phase-1 (under construction)
  • Total Length: 40.03 km (24.87 mi)
    • North–south corridor: 18.87 km (11.73 mi)
    • East–west corridor: 21.16 km (13.15 mi)
  • Elevation:
    • Elevated: 33.50 km (20.82 mi)
    • Underground: 6.53 km (4.06 mi)
Phase-2 (under construction)

Phase-1 (under construction)
North-South Corridor
Motera Stadium
Sabarmati
AEC
Sabarmati Railway Station
Ranip
Vadaj
Vijay Nagar
Usmanpura
Old High Court
Gandhigram
Paldi
Shreyas
Rajiv Nagar
Jivraj Park
APMC
Gyaspur (depot)
North-South Extension Corridor
Koteshwar Road
Vishwakarma College
Tapovan Circle
Narmada Canal
Koba Circle
Juna Koba
Koba Gam
GNLU
Raysan
Randesan
Dholakuva Circle
Infocity
Sector-1 (Gandhinagar)
Sector-10A (Gandhinagar)
Sachivalaya (Gandhinagar)
Akshardham (Gandhinagar)
Juna Sachivalaya
Sector-16 (Gandhinagar)
Sector-24 (Gandhinagar)
Mahatma Mandir
East-West Corridor
Thaltej Gam
Thaltej
Doordarshan Kendra
Gurukul Road
Gujarat University
Commerce Six Road
Stadium (Ahmedabad)
Old High Court
Shahpur
Gheekanta
Kalupur Railway Station
Kankaria East
Apparel Park (depot)
Amraiwadi
Rabari Colony
Vastral
Nirant Cross Road
Vastral Gam

Phase-2 (approved)
GNLU-Gift City Branch Corridor
PDPU
GIFT City

Construction contracts
Sl No.ContractContractor
1General ConsultancySystra-RITES-Oriental-AECOM JV
296 coaches (Rolling stock)Hyundai Rotem
3Signalling SystemNippon Signal Co. Ltd, Japan
4Apparel Park DepotURC Construction
5Gyaspur DepotGannon Dunkerly - PSPO JV
6Vastral Gam - Apparel Park (Viaduct - 6 km)J Kumar Infraprojects
7Vastral Gam - Apparel Park (6 Stations)DRA - CICO JV
8East Ramp - Kalupur (Tunnels & 2 Stations - 2.45 km)Afcons Infrastructure
9Kalupur - West Ramp (Tunnels & 2 Stations - 4.38 km)Larsen & Toubro
10Thaltej Gam - West Ramp (Viaduct & 7 Stations - 8.21 km)Tata Projects - CRCC JV
11Gyspur - Shreyas (Viaduct & 4 Stations - 4.62 km)
12Shreyas - Ranip (Viaduct & 6 Stations -8.94 km)Simplex Infrastructure
13Motera - Ranip (Viaduct - 4.85 km)Ranjit Buildcon
14Motera - Ranip (5 Stations)Pratibha - Ranjit JV
15 Shreyas to Ranip

(Viaduct & 6 stations – 8.94 km)

 Simplex Infrastructure
16 Kalupur to West Ramp

(Tunnels & 2 stations – 4.38 km)

 Larsen & Toubro
17 Thaltej Gam to West Ramp

(Viaduct, Sabarmati Bridge & 7 stations – 8.21 km)

 Tata – CCECC JV
18 Electrification Siemens India - Siemens AG, Germany
19 Automatic Fare Collection System Nippon Signal Co. Ltd, Japan

Controversy

Near Thaltej Gam on western side, 300-odd shop owners opposed the land acquisition while the officials said that there is need of huge land for depot and parking for the project.[29] The land acquisition is also opposed by the residents and shop owners of Jivraj Park, Vejalpur area. They had filed a case in Gujarat High Court.[30][31] They settled the case in September 2017.[32] Former IAS officer and executive chairman of project Sanjay Gupta and seven of his subordinate officers were accused while two of them were arrested in May 2015 for alleged committed fraud of ₹ 113 crore in procurement and use of ground filling materials for the project in 2012. Another case regarding procurement of 603 tons of TMT steel worth ₹ 2.62 crore which was never delivered is also being investigated.[33][34][35][36]

The Comptroller and Auditor General has pointed out wasteful expenditure of ₹ 373.62 crore on earlier unapproved corridors.[37]

See also

References
  1. https://indianexpress.com/article/india/ahmedabad-metro-rail-after-centre-objects-metro-rail-link-to-gift-city-shortened-by-6-km-5410036/
  2. https://www.financialexpress.com/infrastructure/ahmedabad-metro-phase-2-gets-modi-cabinet-clearance-ahead-of-phase-1-inauguration-on-march-4/1493979/
  3. "Contact Us - MEGA". gujaratmetrorail.com. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  4. Mega. "MEGA Map 2014". MEGA. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  5. IRJ (1 February 2014). "Ahmedabad launches metro train tender". IRJ.
  6. DeshGujarat (14 March 2015). "First 6 km works of Ahmedabad Metro to complete by September 2016:CM". DeshGujarat. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  7. India (5 February 2015). "Mumbai-based firm wins bid for Ahmedabad metro construction". The Indian Express. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  8. DeshGujarat (22 October 2014). "MEGA invites tender for Vastral-Apparel Park stretch of Ahmedabad METRO Rail project". DeshGujarat. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  9. "Ahmedabad Metro Phase 1 – Information, Route Maps, Tenders & Updates". The Metro Rail Guy. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  10. "PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Ahmedabad Metro first phase, takes a ride". Mint. 4 March 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  11. "Ahmedabad Metro to open for public on Wednesday - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  12. "'Very important gifts for Ahmedabad, Surat': PM Modi launches metro rail projects in Gujarat". www.timesnownews.com. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  13. "From 2015, ride Metro from Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar". dna. 29 September 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  14. "Ahmedabad metro rail project put on fast track". Business Standard. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  15. "New firm to speed up Metro in Ahmedabad". Daily News and Analysis. 2 May 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  16. "Ahemedabad Metro project gets green signal". The Times of India. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  17. India (5 November 2014). "Modi government clears Railway land for Ahmedabad metro project". The Indian Express. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  18. "MEGA Invites Bids for Ahmedabad Metro's 6.83 km Underground Section - The Metro Rail Guy". Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  19. "IL&FS; Engineering Services Bags Rs. 374.64 Cr Metro Rail Contract in Gujarat". The Hans India. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  20. "Railways green-lights north-south Metro work in Ahmedabad". The Times of India. 11 June 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  21. Bureau, Our (27 November 2015). "Ahmedabad Metro Phase 1 gets ₹5,968-crore Japanese funding". Business Line. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  22. "Rs 3,116 cr spent on Ahmedabad Metro so far - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  23. "Now, Metro trial run will be held by February 18 - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  24. "Ahmedabad Metro Phase 2 gets Modi Cabinet clearance ahead of Phase 1 inauguration on 4 March". The Financial Express. 21 February 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  25. "Gujarat nod for Rs 6,758crore Metro Phase II". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  26. Nair, Avinash (20 October 2018). "Ahmedabad Metro Rail: After Centre objects, Metro rail link to GIFT City shortened by 6 km". The Indian Express. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  27. "GMRC Invites Bids for Ahmedabad Metro's Phase 2 Construction". The Metro Rail Guy. 20 January 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  28. "Ahmedabad Metro Phase 2 – Information, Route Maps, Tenders & Updates". The Metro Rail Guy. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  29. "Tenders issued for Metro construction - TOI Mobile". The Times of India Mobile Site. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  30. "Ahmedabad metro project: MEGA offers relocation option to residents". ETRealty.com. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  31. "Metro rail project: Residents of Vejalpur junk relocation offer". The Indian Express. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  32. "Metro project clears hurdle in land acquisition". The Times of India. 3 September 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  33. Sports (15 May 2015). "Ahmedabad metro: Top officer held for 'fraud'". The Indian Express. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  34. TNN (20 May 2015). "Executive chairman of Metrolink Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad seeks ban on media coverage". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  35. India (8 December 2015). "Former IAS officer involved in Ahmedabad metro scam released on bail". The Indian Express. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  36. "Metro rail scam: Ex-IAS officer Sanjay Gupta gets bail". The Times of India. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  37. "CAG finds ₹373-cr 'infructuous spend' in Ahmedabad Metro". Business Line. 1 April 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2016.

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