Seamless, multi-mode travel in Ahmedabad

By 2025, you could shoot off an SMS to a toll-free number to reach a destination in Ahmedabad at a particular time. The system would immediately give you a mix of modes — BRTS, AMTS, metro rail and sub-urban rail —all networked together, by then.You could book your seats with your prepaid travel card in one go. You could just swipe your travel card at a BRTS stop at Navrangpura, alight at the modal transfer station on SG Highway for a direct metro rail to the proposed Federa international airport.Welcome to the world of integrated multi-modal, non-stop, seamless, transport system where all these modes of transport will run in tandem. Experts say this integrated transport system is the future of traffic system in this rapidly growing megacity. Figures available with the Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board (GIDB) say the city’s population is expected to touch 84.5 lakh by 2025, with transportation required for 26.4 lakh! “This integrated transport system is best suited for a compact city like Ahmedabad. No single mode of transport can function in isolation. So, there was a need to weave various modes of transport,” says Shivanand Swamy, associate director, CEPT which played a big role in designing the system. While BRTS will become the backbone of the network, a suburban rail transit system will connect the city to industrial suburbs like Kalol, Naroda and Mehmedabad, which will become important nodes for the upcoming Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. Besides this, both BRTS and metro rail would provide direct access to GIFT city, the finance hub on the outskirts of Gandhinagar which is being touted as the next engine of growth for Ahmedabad.Singapore, which is interested in the Rs 7,432 crore metro rail, plans to link Dholera-Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar. While the twin bus system, the BRTS and AMTS, would provide unhindered access to all the central business districts like Ashram Road, CG Road, SG Highway and DMIC. Besides, there would be links to residential and educational hubs of the city and its suburbs.

Suburban rail corridor: A regional rail corridor would come up on additional space available along the existing rail line. Initially, plans for a Barejadi-Kalupur-Kalol line and direct service between Kalupur and Naroda were proposed. The third corridor which is being discussed is the airport link from the Kalupur-Naroda line, while a rail line is proposed for Vasna-Sabarmati route, and another for Sarkhej-Gandhinagar route via NH-8.

Metro corridor :The present project report for metro rail proposes a total area route of 99.65 km at this stage, that would connect state capital Gandhinagar and important destinations in Ahmedabad. The first phase takes up 54.75 km.However, the new plan for which the Singapore Chambers for Commerce and Industry is interested in is the Gandhinagar-Dholera via Ahmedabad route, with a direct connectivity to Fedara international airport that would come up 20 km from Dholera. The combined air passenger traffic would increase to 20,350 at Fedara and the existing Sardar Patel international airport. Apart from four metro lines proposed are a metro corridor along the Sabarmati riverfront, Vasna-Sabarmati route along 132-feet ring road while a proposed extension to GIFT city is under active consideration. The metro rail would connect a logistic and manufacturing hub that would form part of the DMIC corridor, townships that would come up in the vicinity and GIFT city.

BRTS corridor :As per existing plans the BRTS network would comprise a 120.5-km network after three phases of the plan come up. The Ahmedabad BRTS corridor has been designed on Colombian economic model. By providing additional floor space index along BRTS corridor, the land-use pattern plan along the corridor would encourage developers to come up with commercial spaces and residential zones that will fuel BRTS system by providing passengers. This would allow developers to come up with multi-storied complexes. The existing BRTS network passes through two critical central business districts like SG road, Ashram road, while busy commercial areas in the intermediary circle of the city would provide it with additional passengers. The third phase of BRTS project would connect GIFT city to Gandhinagar and Bopal, while Gujarat University would be connected in phase 2 of the BRTS plan.