Ahmedabad Metro snippets

Get ready to go underground for a trip to Kalupur. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which has submitted a detailed project report (DPR) to the state government on a metro project for the city, has proposed that the metro rail can go underground between Nehru Bridge and Ahmedabad railway terminus in Kalupur. The cost of the entire metro rail project, including extension from airport to Gift City via Koba Circle, is estimated to be around Rs 12,000 crore. Mangu Singh, director (works) of DMRC, who was here to attend a seminar on Urban Infrastructure and Water Sector as a part of the Vibrant Gujarat summit, said that the DMRC in the DPR has proposed a complete elevated metro rail system for the city, barring the stretch from Nehru Bridge to Kalupur passing from Relief Road. Heavy passenger traffic on Relief Road, growing traffic concerns and space constraints in the walled city are the reasons for going underground like in certain areas in Delhi. The DMRC has also proposed to change the alignment of the rail. It says that the proposed 10.9 km East-West metro line could be from the Income Tax, Shahpur Darwaza, Delhi Darwaza, Prem Darwaza, Kalupur to Relief Road. Now, the metro will run from Nehru bridge to Kalupur via Relief Road. The change, said sources, has been made keeping in mind the commercial viability of this new route and also to decongest Relief road and Lal Darwaza bus terminus. It is this small stretch, connecting Relief Road to the railway station in Kalupur, where the metro rail will go underground. Singh said: “The new alignment would pass from Thaltej, Gurukul, Vijay Crossroads, Gujarat University, Commerce Crossroads, CG Road and Nehru Bridge. This stretch would be elevated corridor, while the remaining stretch from Nehru Bridge to Kalupur via Relief Road would be underground.” The first 60-km stretch of the project has three segments – north-south between APMC, Vasna in Ahmedabad to Akshardham in Gandhinagar; east-west between Thaltej and Kalupur; and airport to GIFT city via Koba.