The Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Metro train service is likely to be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 16. Prime Minister Modi will visit his home state of Gujarat on September 15 for the first time after the Lok Sabha poll victory. During this visit, he is likely to give green light to the Motera-Gandhinagar Sector 1 metro rail route. This 20 km metro route aims to connect Motera in Ahmedabad to Sector 1 in Gandhinagar.
The Ahmedabad Metro Phase-2 corridor spans a total length of 28.26 kilometers, which includes 22.84 kilometers from Motera to Mahatma Mandir and 5.42 kilometers from Mahatma Mandir to GNLU-GIFT City.
The segment from Mahatma Mandir to GIFT City is still under construction, with work on two stations yet to be completed. This segment is not expected to be operational before the end of the year.
Trial runs for Phase II, which connects Motera to Gandhinagar Sector 1 (Indroda Circle), were completed in February. The corridor includes 20 stations from Motera to Mahatma Mandir and 2 stations in the GNLU-GIFT City segment. The 22 stations in Phase II are Koteshwar Road, Vishwakarma College, Tapovan Circle, Narmada Canal, Koba Circle, Old Koba, Koba Village, GNLU, PDPU, GIFT City, Raysan, Randesan, Dhola Kuva Circle, Infocity, Sector 1, Sector 10A, Sachivalaya, Akshardham, Old Sachivalaya, Sector 16, Sector 24, and Mahatma Mandir.
Currently, 13 stations on the 16 km route from Motera to Sector 1 and 2 stations between GNLU and GIFT City have been completed, totaling 15 stations. The work on the route from Sector 1 to Mahatma Mandir is also progressing rapidly, with a target to complete it by the end of the year.
The much-delayed project was to be made functional before the Lok Sabha elections; however, due to various reasons, it was delayed. The metro rail line connecting Motera to Gandhinagar will be a crucial link between the largest city in Gujarat and the state capital. The metro line will provide an alternative to road journeys between these two important destinations in the state.