Motera stadium to get skywalk by September 2020

AHMEDABAD: People may have to wait till September 2020 to fulfil their wish of viewing the Motera stadium from the Metro rail skywalk.
According to the sources, the Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation Limited (GMRC) architect is still to approve the final design of the skywalk. A senior officer of GMRC said they have been given time up to September 2020 to ready the skywalk.
An escalator will also be built near the main entrance of the Motera metro station to help passengers reach the skywalk.
A senior GMRC officer said, “The skywalk is very much a part of the metro station at Motera. Almost 35% of the work for the skywalk has been done.”
The Metro authorities have plans to connect other metro stations with key points of congestion by overhead ways. To ensure that passengers can avoid crossing roads, nearby metro stations will have overhead passages to Sardar Patel Stadium at Navrangpura, Sabarmati railway station, Gujarat University Convention Hall, Thaltej Crossroads and other spots.
“The authorities want that trains filled to their full capacity can be emptied quickly, thus minimizing traffic congestion,” the officer said, adding the convenience of the skywalk can lead to increase in revenue.
The GMRC official said that the first train on the North-South corridor will likely take up to December 2020 to begin running, though the Motera station is scheduled to be ready by October this year. The metro rail track has been delayed, as the GMRC was forced to terminate the contract of IL&FS Engineering & Construction in January and award it to another firm.
The Rs 374.64 crore project contract was for building four stations and laying a 4.6km viaduct for the metro project in the city. Due to financial constraints of their parent group, IL&FS had stopped work since September 2018.