Ahmedabad: The Metro Rail service continues to face challenges in attracting large-scale ridership. Currently, around 1.18 lakh passengers use the service within the city daily, while about 2,500 commuters travel to Gandhinagar. Hoping to boost these numbers, Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) is now focusing on the Sachivalaya route, which is set to open by June this year, as trial runs on the route are already ongoing.

January this year recorded the highest monthly ridership so far, with over 39.5 lakh passengers and revenue of ₹4.71 crore, largely due to the two-day Coldplay concert. Even though ridership improved from 26.99 lakh in March 2024 to 35.53 lakh in March 2025, several metro trains still run with very few passengers on multiple connecting routes.

One of the main reasons attributed to the low ridership by GMRC officials is the lack of parking facilities. One passenger, who had some work in Motera and decided to take the metro from Jivraj Park station, had to park his vehicle at a nearby complex due to the unavailability of dedicated parking near the station.

On the other hand, the metro line connecting Ahmedabad with the state capital, launched in September 2024, had an average ridership of 2,000 passengers per day until February, which rose to 2,500 in March. Most of the commuters on this route are civil servants or students traveling to GIFT City. With the extension to Sachivalaya nearing completion, the numbers are expected to rise significantly.

Authorities aim to complete the entire Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar metro network by the end of this year. Once operational, the Gandhinagar corridor is expected to witness a surge in ridership, with key stops such as Mahatma Mandir, Akshardham, Sachivalaya, GIFT City, and GNLU enhancing connectivity. GMRC also plans to increase train frequency during peak hours and expects more commuters to shift from buses to the metro. DeshGujarat

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