Extension of Metro corridor at GIFT City in Gujarat approved; move aimed at benefiting MNCs, institutes

The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the extension of the Metro corridor between Ahmedabad and GIFT City at a cost of Rs 1,067.35 crore. In a statement, the government said the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation’s extension of the North-South corridor from Gift City to Shahpur. With three elevated stations, the new corridor will cover 3.33 km and take about four years to complete, it said. “This extended corridor is expected to benefit approximately 23,702 passengers in 2029 and approximately 58,059 passengers in 2041. This corridor will strengthen connectivity between Ahmedabad and GIFT region. Major multinational companies, educational institutions, and commercial centers located along the proposed route will directly benefit,” the statement said. It added that the project was likely to create around 1,000 jobs in the construction phase and another 250 post construction in the form of operations and maintenance. “This project will generate a significant number of direct employment opportunities, equivalent to the number mentioned above. Additionally, other activities will generate indirect employment for even more people,” it said. As of now, the Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation has a network of 68.28km, with a daily ridership of 1.60 lakh. With this approval of the Union Cabinet the 3.33-kilometre-long extension from GIFT City to Shahpur will include three elevated stations. The project is estimated to cost around Rs 1,067.35 crore. At present, the 68.28-km Ahmedabad Metro Phase-I {APMC to Motera Stadium (North-South Corridor) and Thaltej Gam to Vastral Gam (East-West Corridor)} and Phase-II (Motera Stadium to Mahatma Mandir and GNLU to GIFT City) of Gujarat Metro, with a total of 53 stations, have been successfully operational since September 2022 (Phase-I) and January 2026 (Phase-II). Over 1.60 lakh people benefit daily from this convenient mode of transportation. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister and the Union Cabinet for providing the benefit of this connectivity to multinational fin-tech companies, units operating in GIFT City, educational institutions and commercial centres, as well as citizens commuting daily between Ahmedabad and GIFT City.