There is a major change in plans for future metro commuters who will be travelling from the GIFT City to Ahmedabad’s international airport. The Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) has revised its plans for a dedicated metro route connecting the airport.
This comes after the earlier proposal for a direct link from GIFT City was shelved due to rising costs. The new route will branch off from the existing Motera-Koteshwar corridor, offering a non-stop service to the airport. This, however, does not eliminate the need for multiple transfers for passengers. Those travelling from GIFT City will have to change metro trains thrice and those coming from Thaltej and Vastral areas will have to change trains twice to go to the airport.
GMRC officials confirmed the development, saying a detailed project report (DPR) has already been submitted to the central government for approval. The plan was finalized just before the model code of conduct came into force.
Passengers travelling on the east-west or north-south corridors might require two to three transfers to reach the airport line.
“The DPR has been submitted to the Union ministry of urban development,” a senior GMRC official confirmed.
“India’s first bullet train will be ready in 2026, and will run in one section from Surat,” the minister said.He said significant progress has been made in the construction of various stations and work has begun on the sea tunnel through which the train will reach Mumbai from Thane.
Meanwhile, testing continues on the recently completed route between Sector 1, Gandhinagar, and Motera. A thorough review by the commissioner of metro railway safety is expected after the Lok Sabha election.“This dedicated route will be a convenient connection for air travellers in Ahmedabad. With the DPR submitted and testing underway on other sections, the project is on the fast track,” the GMRC official assured. Earlier this month, the GMRC held a trial run of the metro between Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) and GIFT City as part of phase-2 of the project.
