Gujarat sends 25,300 crore metro services expansion plan to Centre

GANDHINAGAR: With the general election over, the Gujarat govt has sent a Rs 25,300 crore project plan to the Union govt which includes proposed metro rail services for Vadodara and Rajkot and the expansion of the Ahmedabad metro to the city airport and within the global fintech hub of GIFT City.
According to top sources, the Gujarat govt expects 50% of the projected costs to be borne by the Union govt, while it will raise the rest of the funds for these four projects.

“Detailed project reports (DPR) for new metro rail services for Vadodara and Rajkot, along with expansion of the Ahmedabad metro rail within GIFT City and to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) airport, have been sent to the Union govt. The Gujarat govt is expecting the Union govt to bear 50% of the cost of these projects,” sources told TOI.
Sources added that once the Centre sanctions the funds, the state govt will begin work on the projects, as the DPRs for all four have already been prepared.
Metro services are operational in Ahmedabad on two corridors — Vastral-Thaltej and Vasna-Motera.
Work is at the final stages for connecting Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. Officials said metro operations between Motera and Gandhinagar are expected to begin in the coming weeks. The metro connecting Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar will extend to Mahatma Mandir in the state capital, and this section is expected to be operational by the end of the year.
Earlier, the state govt had also drawn up plans to connect Manipur on the western periphery of the city by metro rail. The project to connect Thaltej to Manipur via Shilaj, had been drawn up keeping in mind the state govt’s plans to construct an Olympic village and knowledge centre at Manipur-Godhavi, as Ahmedabad looks to make a bid to host the 2036 Olympics.