In a bid to "facilitate students and office-goers", the Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) has announced a 4-hour extension in Ahmedabad Metro timings, according to a press release issued by the government. The phase one metro trains in the city, that currently run from 9 AM to 8 PM, will operate from 7 AM to 10 PM for a month, starting Jan 30.

The rising demand for metro services in the city and the resulting rush have meant that "the east-west corridor has a trip every 18 minutes while the north-south corridor has a trip every 25 minutes, which can be increased to a trip per 15 minutes (in peak hours)", the press release further added.

The revised metro timings are an attempt by the GMRC to keep up with the recent increase in the number of travelers boarding the trains, that especially goes up in the morning and during the night.

It must be noted that the new timings are only temporary and any decisions to extend the timings permanently will be taken after analyzing February's passenger count and the response to the altered timings. The press release clearly states that “the future timetable will be decided after a study on the actual need."