Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) has started the tender process for the civil works of Ahmedabad Metro’s third phase: seven packages covering about 58.5 km of elevated viaduct and 43 stations, DeshGujarat reported on October 2. GMRC has also begun four utility-shifting packages worth Rs 35.81 crore. The expansion still needs final Union Cabinet approval.
The seven corridors
- Shilaj Circle to Badrabad: 12.5 km, 7 stations
- Vishal Nagar West to Bapunagar North: 11 km, 10 stations
- Thaltej Gam to Godhavi: 10.3 km, 8 stations
- Naranpura to Nehrunagar: 8.7 km, 5 stations
- APMC to New Faisal Nagar: 6.6 km, 5 stations
- Veer Savarkar Sports Complex to Arihant Nagar: 4.8 km, 5 stations
- Dudheshwar to Vadaj: 4.6 km, 3 stations
How Phase 3 differs from the first two
Phases 1 and 2 built long trunk routes: the east-west line from Vastral to Thaltej and the north-south line from APMC to Motera, extended to Gandhinagar and GIFT City. Metro Rail News puts the operational network at 67.6 km, with ridership touching 50 lakh a month in July 2026.
Phase 3 looks different on the map. The longest corridor runs 12.5 km and the shortest 4.6 km, and several end at stops such as APMC, Vadaj and Thaltej Gam that sit on or near the existing lines. GMRC appears to be filling gaps between the trunk lines so more neighbourhoods sit within walking or short auto distance of a station. The Vishal Nagar West to Bapunagar North stretch, with 10 stations in 11 km, packs stops closer together than any other package, which suits the dense eastern wards.
The western end carries a newer idea. In April, GMRC invited design consultants for the Thaltej Gam and Godhavi corridors as hybrid metro-RRTS lines, built to handle city metro trains and faster regional services on one viaduct, according to Metro Rail Today. Godhavi lies on the road toward Sanand, Ahmedabad’s fast-growing industrial satellite.
Where approval stands
The Public Investment Board, the Centre’s appraisal panel for big projects, cleared Phase 3 in August, Metro Rail News reported. The Union Cabinet’s sign-off is the remaining central step. GMRC has run design consultancy and soil-testing work in parallel through 2026, and the civil tenders extend that approach: bids can come in while the Cabinet note moves.
Neither report gives a total project cost or a completion date.
What it means for Ahmedabad residents
Utility shifting comes first, so the earliest effect most people will notice is road work: water lines, sewers and cables moved out of the path of piers on roads like those around Naranpura, Nehrunagar and Bapunagar. Phases 1 and 2 brought months of narrowed carriageways and diversions, and Phase 3 will repeat that in more neighbourhoods at once, since seven packages may run together.
The payoff is reach. Commuters in areas the current lines miss, from Shilaj and Thaltej Gam in the west to Bapunagar in the east, would get direct stations instead of a bus or auto ride to the nearest one.
What to watch
- The Union Cabinet decision, and the sanctioned cost that comes with it.
- Contract awards for each of the seven packages, and which firms win them.
- Traffic diversion plans from the Ahmedabad traffic police once utility work begins.
Sources: DeshGujarat, Metro Rail News, Metro Rail Today
This report was compiled and written with AI assistance from publicly reported sources, and reviewed for accuracy.