Ahmedabad: Late-night metro rides are finally becoming a reality for Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar commuters. In a major relief for office-goers, students and late-evening commuters, Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Metro services will now run till 11pm from Monday after the Gujarat cabinet approved extended operational hours.The decision comes amid calls for wider use of public transport following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to conserve fuel in view of the current global situation.The Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) on Saturday announced revised schedules across the East-West and North-South corridors, including extended services on the Gandhinagar stretch. In the article, “Capital punishment? Metro trains go home before commuters”, published on May 16, TOI had highlighted how Metro’s Yellow Line services end around 8pm, forcing commuters who leave late from GIFT City, Infocity and govt offices in Gandhinagar to fall back on cabs or their own vehicles. Urban planners and commuters had repeatedly argued that the closing time for the Gandhinagar corridor made little sense for a rapidly expanding capital region packed with IT firms, universities, coaching institutes and financial hubs operating beyond conventional office hours. Sources in GIFT City said discussions were underway with GMRC to improve train frequency and extend connectivity for employees working late shifts.Now, under the revised schedule, the last metro from Mahatma Mandir will now leave at 9pm instead of 8.09pm and continue onwards via Koteshwar to APMC. Similarly, the last train from Koteshwar to Mahatma Mandir, which earlier departed at 7.43pm, will now leave at 9.20pm. Additional services will also run at 8.17pm and 9.20pm on the route.On the East-West corridor, the last train from Vastral Gam towards Thaltej Gam, currently scheduled at 10pm, has been extended to 11pm. Additional departures will operate at 10.20pm, 10.40pm and 11pm.Similarly, from Thaltej Gam, the last metro to Vastral Gam will now leave at 11pm instead of 10pm, with extra services at 10.20pm, 10.40pm and 11pm.On the North-South corridor, the last metro from APMC to Koteshwar will now depart at 11.10pm instead of 10.10pm. Additional services will run at 10.30pm, 10.50pm and 11.10pm. From Koteshwar to APMC, the last train timing has been pushed from 10.05pm to 11pm, with added departures at 10.20pm, 10.40pm and 11pm.GMRC officials said detailed schedules have been uploaded on the corporation’s official website and appealed to commuters to make greater use of metro services.The extension comes at a time when ridership on the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Metro network continues to rise sharply. Since operations began in 2022, the network has carried around 13.4 crore passengers, while average daily ridership has climbed to nearly 1.52 lakh passengers between Jan and April 2026.Officials said the decision to extend services will significantly benefit employees working in Gandhinagar’s institutional and business corridor, including GIFT City, Infocity and nearby university campuses.
