by our correspondent, Surat, 28 January 2013

On 11th of August last year, Gujarat Chief Minister in a function held at Surat announced state government’s decision to approve the Metro train project for the city of Surat.

The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) officials had then shared the details that the proposed rail link will be a part of an integrated rapid mass transport system along with Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) to cater to the future needs of the city.

Today, in a budget draft of year 2013-14, the SMC has made provision of Rs five crore for feasibility studies and detail project report of Surat Metro. This is one step closer to the ambitious project.

Last year, it was estimated that for a 100 km of metro rail in Surat city, about Rs 17,500 crore would have to be spent. The estimate can go even higher this year.