Two Years of Ahmedabad Metro: ₹65 Crore Revenue Against ₹321 Crore Loss

Two years have passed since the launch of the Metro Rail in Ahmedabad. On September 30, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the route from Vastral to Thaltej and from APMC to Motera. 

The Metro Rail has now become akin to a “lifeline” for many citizens. However, it has proven to be a white elephant for the Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation. In the financial year 2022-23, the Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) incurred a loss of ₹321 crores.

Financial Losses of Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation

In the financial year 2021-22, the Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) suffered a loss of ₹465 crores. During the year 2022-23, the corporation faced an average daily loss of ₹87 lakhs. 

However, this represents a reduction in losses compared to the previous year. With the introduction of new routes and an increase in passengers, there is a strong possibility that these losses will continue to decrease annually.

Ahmedabad Metro: A Lifeline for Citizens

The Metro Rail has now become a “lifeline” for many citizens. Compared to two-wheelers, traveling by Metro saves approximately 35 to 40 minutes and up to ₹50 in expenses. 

The East-West corridor, which stretches about 26 kilometers from Vastral village to Thaltej, costs just ₹1 per kilometer on the Metro. Similarly, the route from APMC to Motera in the North-West corridor is approximately 18 kilometers long.

Revenue and Passenger Statistics of Gujarat Metro Rail

According to sources from GMRC, from October 2022 to August 2024, the Metro has generated an average daily income of ₹8.88 lakhs from approximately 72,514 passengers. 

Between January and August of this year, the Metro recorded 2.31 crore passengers and generated revenue of ₹27.47 crores. In comparison, the previous year saw 2.53 crore passengers during the same period.

Challenges Faced by Metro Rail Users

While the Metro Rail has become a lifeline for many, there are still significant inconveniences:

• Lack of Parking Facilities: There is a shortage of parking facilities around Metro stations, leading many drivers to prefer using their vehicles instead of the Metro.
• Inadequate Feeder Connectivity: The absence of proper feeder connectivity from the Metro stations discourages many potential passengers from using the service. If public transport options were available for other destinations near the Metro stations, it could increase the number of travelers significantly.

Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Metro: 55,000 Passengers in Two Weeks

Two weeks ago, the partial route from Motera to the Mahatma Mandir corridor was inaugurated, allowing the Metro train to operate between GNLU and Gift City. In just 14 days, nearly 56,000 passengers have traveled on the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Metro.