Ahmedabad metro – A quintessential public transport service

Ahmedabad is the seventh-largest city in India and is the largest city in the state of Gujarat. It was once dotted with several textile mills which gave it the moniker – Manchester of India.

But slowly and gradually the textile industry incurred severe losses resulting in the closure of several mills in and around the city. This led to job losses and unemployment. Most of the mill workers turned into auto-rickshaw drivers to earn their livelihood.

Now that is history, and all the mills’ workers are either self-employed or they have been absorbed by the unorganized sector. The city has come a long way since then and it is now one of the fastest-growing cities in India.

The city has grown tremendously, and it has become a force to reckon with. A few years ago, the city got a new Bus Rapid Transit system for a smooth travel experience. Apart from this, there have been several developments on the infrastructure front within the city.

Several new flyovers and underpasses have been built and inaugurated to ease traffic congestion. Now the current and the latest infrastructure development is the metro train service being introduced within the city and for the outskirts. Ahmedabad is among several cities in India where the metro has started operations with full swing.

The metro in Ahmedabad connects the west with the east and it also has a line going towards the state capital. The metro has its trains running in the eastern part of the city since 2019 and work is under progress in other stretches of the metro line.

Now the question that is being asked is whether Ahmedabad needs a metro service for its citizens. The answer lies with the city administration and various stakeholders who are in favor of a metro service in Ahmedabad on the lines of Delhi and other cities.

Ahmedabad has seen its population surpassing the five million mark a few years ago and accordingly the current population of Ahmedabad is eight million. As a result vehicular traffic has increased manifold, hence the need for a metro train service has become mandatory for the city.

But most of the city residents prefer to own a vehicle or two for their daily commute and there are few takers of public transport let alone the metro service. But since it is the first mega project for Ahmedabad apart from BRTS, there will be initial euphoria among the city residents while traveling in the metro.

Moreover, the start of the metro work at various places across the city has created bottlenecks and traffic snarls during peak hours. Underground tunneling has led to cracks on several buildings giving rise to multiple problems at a stretch.

The company in charge of metro work has taken extra precautions while carrying out the work and despite the measures taken, daily mishaps have become a routine affair across the city.

The metro service which is being introduced in the city is likely to ease traffic and encourage people to use public transport leaving their vehicles at home. But since the city resident’s penchant to drive their vehicle is on the rise, there is skepticism about the use of the metro for their daily commute.

This multi-billion dollar project is being implemented under the supervision of Delhi Metro Rail Limited and it is likely to be taken up in phases taking into account people’s convenience and travel habits.

Keeping in view the city’s traffic problems and with the ever-burgeoning vehicular population, a metro train service is the need of the hour in a city like Ahmedabad. Despite all odds, the metro is right on track and will be fully operational very soon. Ahmedabad and its residents will have a purpose to cheer about and the metro is another milestone that the city will achieve very soon.