Union Cabinet approved Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project Phase-1

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 18 October 2014 approved the Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project Phase-1. The project will cover a length of 35.96 km at a total project cost of 10773 crore rupees.

 Highlights of the Project
•    The Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project Phase-1will cover two corridors- North-South Corridor covering 15.42 km from APMC to Motera Stadium and East-West Corridor covering 20.54 km from Thaltej Gam to Vastral Gam.
•    Government of India will contribution 1990 crore rupees for the project in the form of equity and subordinate debt.
•    Project will be implemented by Metro-Link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad (MEGA) Company Ltd which will be converted into a 50:50 jointly owned company of the Government of India and Government of Gujarat.
•    Project will be covered under the legal framework of the Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act, 1978, the Metro Railways (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002, and the Railways Act, 1989.

The proposed two alignments are expected to provide much needed connectivity to the commuters and will cross through some of the densest and traffic congested areas of Ahmedabad.

It will considerably reduce traffic congestion and will bring in fast, comfortable, safe, pollution-free and affordable mass transportation system for the people of Ahmedabad. The Ahmedabad Metropolitan Area which has a population of 6.3 million will be benefitted from this project.

Background
Ahmedabad is the seventh largest metropolis in India and accounts for 12 percent of the population of Gujarat.  The region has witnessed a growth rate of 2.25 percent over the last decade.

As per the population forecasts, about 70 percent of the population will be residing in the Ahmedabad Metropolitan Corporation (AMC) area in the future. Bus augmentation will not be able to cater to the increased public transit load and passengers will shift to private modes which is already evident from the high vehicle ownership trend in the region.

This will not only worsen congestion on the streets but will also increase pollution. Hence, a Metro Rail System in Ahmedabad was essential to negate such situations.