PM likely to inaugurate phase-I Metro

Ahmedabad : Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate the work for the first phase of the state-owned Metrolink Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad (MEGA) company in the second week of January as the government has floated tender for the construction of elevated viaduct beginning from Vastral village to Apparel Park. A separate tender will be floated for the construction of railway stations on the route, official sources said on Thursday.

The first phase of the Metro line will be built from Vastral village to Khokhra Apparel Park up to ramp start. The tendering process excludes Metro rail stations, says the government release. The Vastral village-Apparel Park (Khokhra) stretch is 6-km long and part of the first phase connecting Vastral village with Thaltej village on east-west corridor as part of the first phase of the Metro rail project.

The announcement of the launch of the tender for the first phase was made public on October 20. In all, there will be seven Metro stations on the 7.5 km-long route, construction of which stations will be covered in a separate tender. It  may be noted that the distance between two stations will be around 1,200-1,500 metres.

The Rs 262-crore global tender procedure is likely to be completed by the first week of January, said sources. Ahead of Modi visit, the MEGA company will need to complete the tendering process, selection of the company and issuance of work order. This process needs to to be finished by May 2017. It has been disclosed that the MEGA plans to operate 4-6 coaches to begin with at 45-100 km/hour speed.

Metro rail north-south corridor (APMC market to Motera stadium) and east-west corridor (Thaltej village to Vastral) are part of the Metro rail project phase 1. Phase-1 route length is 35.956 km, of which 29.621 will be over the surface while 6.355 km will be underground. While 28 stations will be over the surface, 4 stations will be underground. The first phase is likely to be completed by 2018.