The much-anticipated train service is set to begin in the third week of September. The first phase of the project is nearing completion, and train trials on the North-South corridor have begun.
The Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) will conduct the final inspection next week. The CMRS team is expected to arrive on August 20 and will inspect the operations on the entire stretch of 40 kms.
Once the inspection work is done, the Gujarat Metro Rail Service (GMRS) will have to do necessary paperwork to get final approval to launch the service.
The compliance of CMRS can take up to 15-20 days and the services are likely to begin in late September, Managing Director of GMRS S S Rathod said. Work has been affected due to the monsoon. Trial runs are in progress and each train has to complete 320 kms of trial run before the actual operations can start.
The project was scheduled to be completed in 2021 but Covid lockdown and some legal hurdles delayed the project. More than Rs 12,500 crore have already been spent on the project. The train will run on elevated platforms except in the Walled City where it is underground. There are four stations in the underground section- Kalupur, Shahpur, Gheekanta and Kankaria East.
The phase-1 has two corridors. Corridor- 1 is from APMC to Motera stadium while corridor -2 is from Thaltej gam to Vastral gam, Rathore said.
Corridor -1 will have stations at Jivraj park, Rajivnagar, Shreyas, Paldi, Gandhigram, Old High Court, Usmanpura, Vijaynagar, Vadaj, Ranip, Sabarmati Railway station, AEC, Sabarmati and Motera.
While corridor- II will pass through Thaltej gam, Thaltej, Doordarshan Kendra, Gurukul Road, Gujarat University, Commerce six roads, S P Stadium, Old High Court, Shahpur, Gheekanta, Kalupur Metro station, Kankaria East, Apparel Park, Amraiwadi, Rabari Colony, Vastral, Nirant Crossroads, Vastral gam.
The highest and minimum fares for metro trains are respectively Rs 25 and Rs 5. The prices are going to be multiples of Rs 5. From APMC to Vastral and Motera to Apparel Park, the maximum fare in corridor I would be Rs 25, respectively.
The fare between Thaltej Gam to Vastral, Nirant Crossroads, and Vastral Gam in Corridor II is Rs 25, whereas elsewhere. The prices would be Rs 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 for the various stations.