Passengers hoping for smoother travel and improved facilities through Ahmedabad’s Kalupur Railway Station redevelopment project continue to face inconvenience nearly 10 months after a 70-day operational block was first imposed at the station. Despite partial completion of work on some platforms, around 20% of train services are still operating from alternative stations, forcing many commuters to travel to Sabarmati and other locations to board trains.
What was initially introduced as a temporary arrangement linked to redevelopment work has now stretched far beyond the original schedule, adding to passenger travel time, transport expenses, and traffic-related difficulties across the city. For many daily commuters, especially those residing in eastern parts of Ahmedabad, the continued diversion of train services has significantly disrupted long-established travel routines centred around Kalupur station.
Passengers who earlier boarded trains directly from Kalupur are now required to travel longer distances to reach stations such as Sabarmati, Asarwa, Vatva, and Maninagar. The inconvenience persists even after progress was made on redevelopment works. In July last year, railway authorities had imposed a 70-day block on Platforms 8 and 9 to facilitate station redevelopment, shifting nearly 21 train services, including the Navjeevan Express, Gujarat Queen, Saurashtra Express, and Double Decker trains, to alternative stations. At the time, officials had described the arrangement as temporary.
However, several train services are yet to return to Kalupur despite parts of the platform work being completed, leading passengers to question the prolonged delay. Many commuters say the promised benefits of redevelopment remain difficult to experience amid the ongoing operational disruptions.
Responding to concerns, Ahmedabad Railway Division PRO Ajay Solanki said redevelopment work by the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) on Platform 9 is still underway. According to him, construction progress was temporarily affected after workers left for their hometowns during the summer vacation period. He added that work has now accelerated following the return of labourers and that RLDA is expected to hand over Platform 9 to Western Railway in June after completing the remaining work. Railway authorities have stated that the larger Kalupur station redevelopment project is being executed in phases and is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
Among the trains that continue to operate from Sabarmati station are:
- Jodhpur–Hadapsar Express (Train No. 20495)
- Aravali Express (Train No. 14701)
- Hisar–Bandra Express (Train No. 22916)
- Ajmer–Puri Express (Train No. 20824)
- Bhagat Ki Kothi–Valsad Express (Train No. 22992)
- Porbandar–Dadar Saurashtra Express (Train No. 19016)