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Ahmedabad (Amdavad), in the state of Gujarat, some 450 km north of Mumbai. MEGA (Metro-Link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad) Mostly elevated 2-line metro system (1435 mm gauge; intersection at Old High Court station) under construction: Line 1 - 20.5 km, from Vastral Gam in the east to Thaltej Gam in the west, 6 km underground; under construction since March 2015; in operation (limited service about every 50 min between 11am and 5pm): 04 Mar
2019: Vastral Gam - Apparel Park (6.5 km) [u/c: Thaltej – Thaltej Gam (1.3 km)] Line 2 - 18.5 km, from Motera Stadium in the north to APMC in the south, all elevated, 15 stations; construction start in Jan 2016 on southern section between the depot and Shreyas, but eventually opened in one go: 06 Oct 2022: Motera Stadium – APMC (official inauguration 30 Sept 2022)
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Gujarat Metro Rail (Official Website) Ahmedabad Metro Project (TheMetroRailGuy) Ahmedabad Metro at Wikipedia
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| Report |
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In May 2019, Craig Moore reports from Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Metro open in March 2019 just four days before Nagpur. Like Nagpur, the Metro is clearly not ready for launch with much building work and limited operations, but unlike Nagpur, there is a standard feel to the stations and trains. This is a partly opened 5.3km stretch of Line 1, which runs in Maninagar on the east bank of the Sabarmati River. The line runs on viaduct in a southeast direction from Apparel Park (depot located here) through the densely populated area of Vastral. The line is of standard gauge and has six stations. The stations are overbuilt (or will be when they are completed). It is difficult to judge how stylish they will be as there is so much construction work and chaos at the moment. Stairs (with security officers) lead to the mezzanine. This is a huge space with white glazed pillars, further security, a ticket office and ticket gates (Token based ticket: 5 - 10 INR). Signage, brand and wayfinding is restricted to the odd small directional sign hidden in strange places (all signage is in Hindi, Gujarati and English). There is little colour, no information or mappage – although this might be because the stations have simply not been furnished yet. A further broad set of stairs lead to the side platforms which are quite smart and tasteful, although again bereft of signage and information boards. RTI is located at the end of the platforms, these being broad and spacious and built for six-car trains (3-car sets operate at the moment). Each platform has 2 rows of pillars with box base to support the main and side arched roofs. These have open sections in the centre that lighten the heavy grey tone. The Rotem trains run in three-car sets. These are metallic with burnt orange and black stripes. The front is crest shaped with protrusions at the base. The burnt orange theme runs in the interior too, with the doors, grab handles and seat end plated all adding colour to the generally plain interior. There is a LED strip map which shows the future 2-line system and the MEGA logo (Metro-Link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad-since changed to GMRC) and LCD displays. Audio information is in Hindi, Gujarati and English. Trains are clean and quite stylish, but also pretty empty. They are powered by third rail and run very slowly (20min journey – 16kph!). Services are very limited at the moment, operating from 1100 to 1650 with 50min headways - 8 services each way, and access to the platforms is only allowed a few minutes before the train is due to depart. This current system is a long way from being fully ready and so is difficult to appraise, but I hope completion of this little stretch brings an improved soft offer (better signage/information) and a less regimented feel to the environment. |