GMRC speeds up 10,773-cr Ah'dabad metro rail project

Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) has fast tracked Phase I of the metro project covering a distance of 40.03 km, of which 6.5 km is underground. The ₹10,773 crore project is expected to be fully operational by 2021. Construction has started after the project's foundation laying ceremony by the prime minister, and for which the Centre has approved the state's request for ₹5,384.17 crore. For the first phase of the project costs, Japan has extended a soft loan of ₹6,066 crore through its funding agency JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), while the Gujarat government has initiated the ground work for Phase-II between Motera in Ahmedabad and Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, crisscrossing a distance of 28.2-km and entailing an investment of ₹3,980 crore. Managing Director, S S Rathod said that both the Centre and State share ₹1990 crore each. The Union Cabinet has approved the project and tenders for the project from Motera till Mahatma Mandir are being floated and geotechnical investigation is currently in full swing.